Learning that bridges theory with practice and emphasises problem-solving skills cannot be confined to the classroom. Therefore, the Fellows will spend at least a third of each working week on Practica problems. The Practica are term-length, site-based applied learning modules. They draw on real-life cases and working problems that are situated in the city.

Working individually as well as in teams, the Practica will enable the participants to integrate theory with practice as well as to deploy the skills and concepts learned in the classroom to imagine and develop appropriate, innovative and sustainable solutions for the Indian context. The Practica will also allow participants to interact with critical stakeholders in the city – like government officials, entrepreneurs, civil society organizations, activists and citizens. In 2016-17, Practica-1 ran through the first five weeks of the Commons term, where the Fellows explored two neighbourhoods in Bangalore integrating diverse perspectives: ecological and economic transformations, social and cultural identity, urban regeneration, mobility and so on. The 16-week Practica-2 focused on Housing, Ecological Security, and Inclusive Economic Development in Bengaluru.

In the past three years, the Fellows engaged with sites and complex urban issues through two structured modules. The first was an eight-week Practica focusing on specific bounded neighbourhoods (municipal ward, for example) and geographies (corridors, for example). This formed the ground where the classroom teaching was tested, examined, and reformulated.  Specific methods of documentation, representation, description and analysis (for example, mapping, GIS, surveying, interviews, and participant observation) were taught through this Practica.  Practica was conceived as a prelude to the more detailed long-term Project based exercises that followed.

In the second structured component, the Fellows were placed with different projects’ teams within IIHS for a period of four months. This enabled real-time application of the theory and skills they learnt during the Fellowship. The projects were aligned to the previous training and experiences, interests, and future plans of the Fellows. It was envisaged that the specific project-related tasks would enable knowledge and skill building in specific area(s), in addition to the classroom sessions. The Fellows were also able to develop and hone a number of soft skills during their project work including teamwork, time management, etc. Each fellow was assigned a project mentor. An in-house four-month project period prepared the Fellows for internships and jobs outside IIHS.

In the past, Fellows have worked on the following live projects: