Matthew Gandy is Professor of Geography at University College London and was Director of the UCL Urban Laboratory from 2005-11.  Recent publications include Concrete and clay: reworking nature in New York City (MIT Press), "Learning from Lagos" in New Left Review and "Cyborg urbanization: complexity and monstrosity in the contemporary city" in The International Journal of Urban and Regional Research.  Matthew is also actively involved in local issues in Hackney, east London, and is a member of the Hackney Biodiversity Partnership and Hackney Environment Network. You can find more details about his current projects and read his blog Cosmopolis at matthewgandy.org