Learning that bridges theory with practice and emphasises problem-solving skills cannot be confined to classrooms. Fellows engage with real sites and complex urban issues through two structured components. The first is through Practica, comprising term-length, site-based applied learning modules. In the second structured component, Fellows are placed with different projects’ teams within IIHS for a period of four months enabling real-time application of theory and skills taught throughout the programme.
Practica
Practica is an interdisciplinary studio, created for Fellows to read, analyse and represent some facets of the urban through field based inquiry using methods, theory and skills that are taught in the Commons Term. Working individually as well as in teams, Fellows imagine and develop appropriate, innovative and sustainable solutions within the Indian context.
During Practica, Fellows engage with multiple themes, such as governance and activism, livelihoods, ecology, rental housing, planning and morphology to build narratives around these themes. This also allows Fellows to interact with critical stakeholders including government officials, entrepreneurs, civil society organizations, activists and citizens. A focus on specific, bounded neighbourhoods (e.g. a municipal ward) and geographies (e.g. corridors) typically forms the ground where classroom teaching is tested, examined and reformulated. Specific methods of documentation, representation, description and analysis (e.g. mapping, GIS, surveying, interviews and participant observation) are taught and applied. Practica is conceived as a prelude to the more detailed long-term Projects.
In 2020-21, Fellows worked on Practica projects with Sadashivanagar as the key research site and Malleshwaram and Vyalikaval as ancillary sites. Past cohorts have explored various neighborhoods in Bengaluru integrating diverse perspectives: ecological and economic transformations, social and cultural identity, urban regeneration, mobility and so on. Practicas have also focused on Housing, Ecological Security and Inclusive Economic Development in Bengaluru.
Projects
In the second structured component, the Fellows are placed with different Projects’ teams within IIHS for a period of four months enabling real-time application of theories and skills learnt during UFP. Care is taken to ensure that Projects are aligned to previous trainings and experiences, and interests and future plans of Fellows. It is envisaged that specific project-related tasks would enable knowledge and skill building in specific area(s), in addition to classroom sessions. The Fellows are also able to develop and hone several soft skills during their project work including teamwork, time management and presentation skills. Each fellow is assigned a project mentor from within the IIHS faculty. This in-house four-month Project period prepares the Fellows for internships and career prospects.
Through a series of field-based exposure trips in cities of different sizes and types, Fellows are exposed to complex problems in the real world. They observe, diagnose and conceptualise solutions to real life problems in small towns as well as in larger, million-pluscities in India.
Recent UFP Masterclasses have been taught by:
1. Evaluation of Skills and Interests