The studio intended to explore the neighborhood with respect to its working, its demands and the contingencies. In the process, the course explored how we connect to our immediate environment and the processes and people shaping it.
During the course the students explored their immediate surroundings and connected to people occupying it. This was through observational and conversational engagements. The retrofit involved -
Ideating and creating Public Realms through creative disruption or reconciliation
Through rational embedding of Blue and Green infrastructure
Questioning the Grey
The studio culminated with the main exercise that looked at the connect with the self and the neighborhood – initially identifying issues of diverse nature in the neighborhoods and ideating the resolution to be proposed in the 1km radius of the area around Home, and later creating a community manifesto and deep design exploration on their respective plots. This process was visualized through photographs, mixed media collages, analytical studies, and drawings.
The students looked at these aspects spread over eight cities of India. There was peer learning of the exigencies of the various cities shaped through culture, climate, and politics. The students interacted with experts from various disciplines ranging from public policy makers to experts on biodiversity.
