Cardiff University (Welsh School of Architecture) & SPA New Delhi
Tutor: Dr Shibu Raman
2019-2020
Tutor: Dr Shibu Raman
2019-2020
This virtual exhibition showcases the research and research-led design proposals that masters students of architecture from the Welsh School of Architecture (WSA) at Cardiff University, UK and the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), New Delhi have produced with an aim to make Kochi (2020) and Mangalore (2019) liveable and sustainable. The studio approaches “cities” as complex interconnected systems by which any changes in spatial, social, environment or institutional systems of the city will inevitably have an impact on others and thus had to factor this into account in their analysis and modelling. The studio started as a collaboration between the two schools in 2018-19 which studied and developed proposals for Mangalore in collaboration with Mangalore Smart City Limited.
For Kochi, WSA students carried out a yearlong research that resulted in design proposals in the 2019-20 academic year. The year begun with an extensive field visit in November 2019 where they interviewed several stakeholders in urban development, participated in focus group meetings and design charettes to identify key urban challenges and to find appropriate solutions with consideration of Kochi’s context, culture, climate, and physical realities. Their research findings identified key challenges including recurring flooding, social disparities, economic vulnerability, waste management, damages to water and ecosystems, poor health, and transport issues; all of which will significantly affect the quality of life and therefore the liveability of the city.
SPA’s urban design studio follows the theme ‘Mission Cities’ and examines urban transformation trends that have been triggered through diverse missions including the Smart City Mission, AMRUT, HRIDAY, PMAY. Focusing on Tier 2 and 3 cities like Mangalore and Kochi, the studio explores outer and peri-urban regions of the city under five different aspects of inquiry – a) Urban Aspirations b) Environment-Development Interfaces c) Whose City? d) Shelter, Livelihood and Liveability e) The Everyday City. Kochi’s unique ecological and socio-cultural setting along with its momentum of growth and change provided the studio team a strong case for an extensive, in-depth study of the prevalent processes and directions of change.
Explanation taken from LU exhibition page
Liveable Urbanism Virtual Exhibition Launch 2020 Invite
Virtual environments built by Kristan Lacy of LU Studio 2019-2020