urbz founders Rahul Srivastava and Matias Echanove reflect on community-driven placemaking in the Indian metropolis. Read on Azure magazine  

'2=20' is the compiled graphic story of the Vithal Bhaskar Chawl series. It takes you through a journey from the history of the chawl to its redevelopment. 

We have come to an end with our series on Makers of Homegrown cities and the Vithal Bhaskar graphic novel. This post presents one finale to both.

In the latest issue, we take a trip with urbz interns as they visit the Vithal Bhaskar site.

In this article, we travel to Cape Town in the western capes of South Africa. The homegrown settlements in Cape town have emerged from occupations of underutilized buildings and vacant lands in peripheries of the city. ‘Occupations’ in Cape Town act as points of contact and interaction between homegrown communities, grassroots housing movements, and the city’s planning institutions.

 How can social and digital empowerment fuel positive growth for Dharavi's SMEs?

In issue 8 of the Vithal Bhaskar graphic novel, we are tearing things down and building them again!

In this article, we go across the border to Orangi, a town in the western district of Karachi, Pakistan, a city that was once part of the colonial Bombay Presidency. Bombay and Karachi used to be referred to as twin cities. In this article, we will look at the Katchi Abadis of Orangi, where residents have built not only their homes but also streets, lanes, and sanitation systems for the neighborhood.

A year after the first lockdown, in light of the second, deadlier Covid-19 wave, we talk to residents of Dharavi to understand how it is impacting them.

In Issue 7 we take a look at how the team resumed work after a long pause.