I am an urban planner interested in the relationship between urban development and risk accumulation processes in African towns and cities. My interest stems from working in Malawi as an urban planner and Assistant Lecturer at the Department of Land Management, Mzuzu University. This experience inspired by PhD research, which explores the manifestations and underlying drivers of environmental health problems in smaller urban centres using Karonga Town, Malawi, as a case study. My research aims to better understand the importance of health problems with large environmental contributions, and the type of enabling capacities required to plan and manage healthier living environments as Karonga Town continues to rapidly grow and expand.