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 propositions for real sites 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 2021-22, Fellows worked on Practica projects with RT Nagar, Bengaluru as the key research site. Past cohorts have explored various neighbourhoods 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.
