[Reader-list] Urbanbody: Dharavi, Mumbai...Urban design studio...Help needed

[chintan gohil]

Hello

We are currently looking for
volunteers/NGOs/Academics/Researchers/Institutions who
have interest and would be willing to contribute to
the two month 'urbanbody' studio organised by Spacelab
research laboratory for urbanism/city from Technical
University of Delft, the Netherlands with a special
focus on Dharavi, mumbai.

Please have a look at spacelab website for more
information on the laboratory :

http://www.spacelab.tudelft.nl/

While the draft focus is still being formulated with
the help of contributors from UCL London and TU Delft,
here are some of the aims and key themes that the
studio aims to explore.

This studio provides a base for the students to
further explore the notion of 'emmergence' and
informality within their final projects, thus
urbanbody remains at one level an exercise of active
observation, but on the other level it intends to
provide the observations/tools and lessons learnt to
the people (inhabitants/activists/NGOs/governmental
bodies) who can use them to intervene and improve the
quality and living conditions etc for the dwellers of
Dharavi.

Possible themes:

Spatial Economy: the interaction of the informal and
formal...'slum' and the city

Idea of migration and floating population within
cities

Role of women in the informal economy

Notion of Emmergence

The studio (20 students and 4-5 associate
professors/collaborators) will spend about 3 weeks in
india (first 3 weeks of march) engaging in studies and
visits as well as workshops with inhabitants of
dharavi/activists/NGOs/Thinkers and Academics.

If any of the members on the list would like to help
or have any suggestions or are in contact with any
NGOs or individuals who could contribute to the
studio, please do write to me.

We are also looking for schools of architecture in
bombay to participate in the studio thus we can begin
to exchange knowledge with the local students if 

Thank you in advance
Chintan Gohil













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