Events and Action: The Red Cross Park, Geneva

Over six months, several events were planned for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Geneva. The process promotes discussion, brainstorming, ideas and aspirations of the IFRC staff members, and their neighbours for the future park. 

A Participatory Park for the Red Cross

urbz is leading a participatory landscaping process for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) through a series of workshops, walks, talks and exhibition. The end result will be a publicly accessible IFRC Park in the center of Geneva. 

Homes, Models and Materials

Artisans collaborate with contractors, residents and the urbz team, to create models in wood, clay, steel, acrylic and brass to produce model homes in Sangam Gully, Dharavi, Mumbai, as part of the Homegrown Street Project.

The Economics of Transport Choices

As part of the C40 Cities Women4Climate Gendered Mobility in Climate Action research project, this blog post attempts to explore the economic impacts and implications of gendered mobility.

In and around the commuting life in Mumbai

This blog post discusses the the commute and the responisibilities surrounding it from a gendered persepctive as a part of the Gendered Mobility and Climate Action research. 

Mumbai's Last Mile Challenge

This blog post highlights key challenges faced by women commuters drawing from the interviews taken as a part of Gendered Mobility and Climate Action research. 

From the Commuters of Mumbai

This blog post summarizes the everyday journeys taken in Mumbai and the workshop conducted as a part of Gendered, Mobility and Climate Action research. 

What’s in a game?

This post examines game methodology as a potential method for qualitative data collection to understand the subconscious behaviour of a commuter and the various factors influencing it, continuing our explorations of various data collection techniques as part of our research on Gendered Mobility and Climate Action.

 

Quantify or Qualify?

This post reflects on the methodological challenges faced in our ongoing research on Gendered Mobility and Climate Action.

Is Climate Change Man Made?

The second blog in the series on Gendered Mobility and Climate Action discusses the methodology and approach we used to conduct the research.

Legitimising the Self-Built

On how self-built structures in cities claim legitimacy bit by bit - A comparison between Mumbai and Philadelphia

Marginality, Climate Crisis, and the Right to the City: The future of participatory urbanism in the US

In a global context, populations marginalized because of race, class, gender, creed, etc. are those most incessantly stripped of this right to design the city in their own image within formalized constraints. In this way, the “informal” urban process of self-construction is inherently a product of this same marginality that excludes these groups from “formalized” city-making.

Comunidades: Foundations for a Sustainable Habitat?

This post provides a historical overview to further understand Goa’s complex rural-urban systems. The aim of this series is to develop a vision for its future that builds on a close reading of its past and engaging actively with its present.

Khotachiwadi Calling

urbz would like to invite everyone who is interested in learning about and taking action to address the current situation in Khotachiwadi. We will go over the previous studies and reports once more and speak about how we can take simple measures to reconsider the recommendations made in prior reports, as well as fresh recommendations from residents and experts.

Men of Steel

A look into the collective intelligence of Khetwadi’s steel artisans.

Beyond the Urban-Rural Binary: France, Italy and Goa

This is the second part of the Goa- Beyond the Urban-Rural Binary which explores how Goa represents a distinctive pattern of urbanization, representing the coevolution of its countryside and urban centres.

The View Out

Metal enclosures within Homegrown Developments of Dharavi

3 X 3

Understanding spatial optimization for commercial spaces in homegrown neighborhoods.

Dharavi works

Dharavi works is a series of projects designed in Mumbai by urbz in partnership with local inhabitants and contractors.

ICRC Campus

urbz is working on a comprehensive plan for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) HQ in Geneva. About 1200 people work in Geneva and another 20,000 work in over 100 conflict zones around the world

The IFRC Park will be open to the public

IFRC Park

The urbz team is working with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies (IFRC) in Geneva on a participatory landscape design involving staff, neighbors and partners.

Gendered Mobility and Climate Action

This project is undertaken under the C40 Women For Climate mentorship program, Mumbai in collaboration with the Government of Maharashtra. The Mentee, Vidisha Dhar, is supported by Lubaina Rangwala (WRI), urbz

Covid-19 in Dharavi

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 urbz has been researching its effect on the people of Dharavi. 

Handstorm in Dharavi

Our annual Handstorm workshops in Dharavi with the "Engineers for Social Impact" from NYU Abu Dhabi generate incremental innovations that improve the quality of life in this massive settlement

Urban Typhoon Kochi, June 4-9, 2019

June 4-9, 2019

The Urban Typhoon workshop in Kochi is open to all citizens and visitors interested in working in urban areas and are willing to engage with communities participation. Together we will explore

Koliwada Charcha

The exhibition Koliwada Charcha is an attempt at understanding the essence of Dharavi Koliwada's architectural and visual language. 

Point-du-Jour

Public consultation for a densification project in Geneva / Démarche de concertation pour un projet de densification au Petit-Saconnex, Genève.

Circulatory Urbanism

For the past 5 years, urbz has been following families who's lives are spread between Mumbai and their ancestral villages in the Konkan (Western India).

pots in kumbharwada

Make in Dharavi

This series of interviews portrays the economic life of Dharavi in Mumbai through the activities of its inhabitants.

Delta V

Project de quartier participatif à Versoix, Genève (09.2017 - 02.2019)
Participation planning project in Geneva, Switzerland.

Proyecto Manila

Building a Community center by understanding social dynamics and participatory planning in a homegrown neighborhood in Bogota

Shinbisum

Generating new models for participatory development for Ulleung island in South Korea

Khotachiwadi

urbz has been involved with the heritage precinct of Khotachiwadi for nearly a decade. We have organized many events workshops there and produced a strategic plan for the area among other things.

Mashup workshops

The mashup workshops take many different forms and happen in all kinds of places. They take specific neighbourhoods as sources of inspiration and unleash a maximum of creativity onto them!

Homegrown cities

This experiment in affordable housing led to the co-designing and construction of a small house in Shivaji Nagar, in Govandi. A neighbourhood in Mumbai that is struggling against all odds to keep growing and

The Design Comes as We Build

urbz invited local builders from Dharavi to design the best possible house they could imagine. These designs were translated into physical models by artisans. 

Homegrown Things

We produced everyday-life objects based on the specific needs of residents and the skills available in the Shivaji Nagar area in Mumbai.

Place, Work, Folk

Place, Work, Folk is a fortnightly column in The Hindu Sunday Magazine by Matias Echanove and Rahul Srivastava, which is inspired by Patrick Geddes and analyzes current urban issues in India and beyond.

Bareilly Street

Studies, workshops, street exhibition and plans towards making a small square in Dharavi children friendly

Genève

urbz est un collectif spécialisé dans la programmation urbaine et la gouvernance participative.

Urban Typhoon

Urban Typhoon is a 5 days long workshop taking place working with local associations to generate programmes and plans for the improvement or preservation of neighbourhoods.