Lying in the heart of Dharavi Koliwada, the Koli Jamat Building offers the opportunity of a community gathering space to the residents in the dense urban grain of Dharavi, that majorly lacks public open spaces.
Looking back at one of the redeveloped chawls in Dharavi, we share the experiences of the people living in a space where staying inside gives the experience of being on the outside - thanks to special features such as the building’s location, orientation, ventilation, and natural lighting.
The article reflects on the lifestyles and aspirations of the residents of Jairam Sheth Chawl, in Dharavi Koliwada, Mumbai, and recognizes the contradictions in the type of homes they aspire to inhabit and the experiences and relationships they want to take forward from their current homes.
This article narrates the entire participatory process organized for the IFRC Park Project through a series of videos.
The article unpacks the design of the Pasco Patil chawl to study the gradual shift in levels of privacy, to house both commercial and residential spaces inside one building.
Through the series of participatory events with the IFRC staff members, and its neighbours, urbz drafted a conceptual framework for the park which reflects the most common sentiments among its users.
Revisiting the recently redeveloped Vithal Bhaskar chawl (a traditional residential tenement) in Dharavi Koliwada, Mumbai, to examine the impact of changes on daily life.
These projects have been re-developed by the residents in collaboration with local contractors and the urbz team.
Celebrated writer Jerry Pinto takes a walk with urbz partner Samidha Patil through the bylanes of Dharavi Koliwada.
The participatory events planned for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Geneva, brought out specific concerns, and focus areas to convert the park into a shared space.
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.
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.
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.
Two short videos present the Homegrown Street Project in Sangam Gully, Dharavi, Mumbai.
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.
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.
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.
This blog post summarizes the everyday journeys taken in Mumbai and the workshop conducted as a part of Gendered, Mobility and Climate Action research.
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.
A closer look at the workings of the village commons in Goa.
This post reflects on the methodological challenges faced in our ongoing research on Gendered Mobility and Climate Action.
This post addresses how the Comunidade continues to be relevant in Goa especially to achieve goals of environmental sustainability.
Continuing our series on examples of homegrown neighbourhoods and impulses from the United States- an inspiring story of the Tent city movement lead by activist Mel King.
The second blog in the series on Gendered Mobility and Climate Action discusses the methodology and approach we used to conduct the research.
An introduction to the effect of gendered travel behaviour on carbon emissions.
On how self-built structures in cities claim legitimacy bit by bit - A comparison between Mumbai and Philadelphia
On why we should consider Hospitality as a fundamental principle in urban planning and design
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.
An inquiry into how traditional institutional structures are stressed by the tourist industry.
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.
urbz a ouvert un nouveau bureau à Paris, spécialisé dans la documentation, la production de films et les projets multimédias.
Dharavi works is a series of projects built in Dharavi Koliwada by urbz in partnership with local inhabitants and contractors.
urbz was selected on the basis of an international call for tenders to support the ICRC and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in the redevelopment of the Hill of Pregny. The ICRC employs nearly 20,000
The urbz team is working with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies (IFRC) in Geneva on a participatory landscaping project involving staff, neighbors and partners.
We are taking the Design Comes as We Build project to the next level - the Homegrown Street!
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
urbz is working with the Municipality of Onex in Geneva, putting together a participatory process to evaluate and contribute to a master plan aiming at improving the quality of life, providing new housing and
Remember the Urban Typhoon workshops in Kochi? These workshops were part of the EnteKochi citylab. We are now back with the Entekochi competition. This is a national level Urban Design Competition, aiming to
Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 urbz has been researching its effect on the people of Dharavi.
We are excited to be working on a new architectural project in Dharavi Koliwada. Our friend, collaborator, and contractor Joseph Koli, approached us to work on his latest project - the redevelopment of a chawl
urbz has been mandated by the State of Geneva to develop a concept and program that integrates living, working and culture for a 60,000 m2 mixed used development in the city’s new downtown.
Un projet participatif pour repenser l’avenir du périmètre Pré-du-Marché et Clos-de-Bulle.
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
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
urbz is carrying a 18 month long participatory process to redefine the two largest public squares in Lausanne (Switzerland). / urbz conduit une démarche participative de 18 mois visant à réimaginer les deux
The exhibition Koliwada Charcha is an attempt at understanding the essence of Dharavi Koliwada's architectural and visual language.
Public consultation for a densification project in Geneva / Démarche de concertation pour un projet de densification au Petit-Saconnex, Genève.
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).
This series of interviews portrays the economic life of Dharavi in Mumbai through the activities of its inhabitants.
Collaborative process between communities led by Proyecto Escape and supported by different local and international organisations
Building a Community center by understanding social dynamics and participatory planning in a homegrown neighborhood in Bogota
Concertation pour faire émerger un nouveau concept d’EcoParc pour la zone industrielle de Meyrin.
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.
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!
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
urbz invited local builders from Dharavi to design the best possible house they could imagine. These designs were translated into physical models by artisans.
We produced everyday-life objects based on the specific needs of residents and the skills available in the Shivaji Nagar area in Mumbai.
Étude d’opportunité pour un équipement culture d'importance majeur à future place de l'Étoie (PAV).
Opportunity study for a major cultural center in the planned neighbourhood of PAV in Geneva.
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.
As part of the Future Architecture Platform, urbz was part of a series of exhibitions and lectures at the MAXXI in Rome, the House of Architecture in Graz, Oris House of Architecture in Zagreb and the Future of
Studies, workshops, street exhibition and plans towards making a small square in Dharavi children friendly
urbz a invité les citoyens invité à imaginer la Plage des Eaux Vives. Les idées ont été présentées sur 100 cartes postales.
A 5 day long workshop in Geneva which produced strategies for gradual urban densification.
Enquête de terrain pour améliorer l’expérience des usagers durant les travaux de construction en ville, avec COLAS SA et le laboratoire de sociologie urbaine (LaSUR), EPFL.
Field research on how to improve the
Stratégies pour la densification participatives et graduelle des zones villas à Genève.
Strategies for the incremental and participatory densification of residential suburbs in Geneva.
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.
