Course General Description

An evident shift is taking place in the study of settlements especially in the Global South. As global forces and elite-driven visions have been (mis)shaping major cities, a consciousness of local, culturally rooted urban reality is emerging in the smaller settlements. It is the complex lived realities of people, their socio-cultural relationship with the landscape and the varied governing systems (state-driven or cultural-driven) that provide an opportunity to learn from and inform current spatial design, planning and management practices. A vision to generate an alternative practice informed by creative methods & experimental approaches is at heart of this program This is a signature program in Planning offered by the UNESCO Chair in Culture, Habitat and Sustainable Development at Srishti. It shares the vision of the chair - ‘to conceive and engage with innovative, inclusive and sustainable strategies that strengthen creative practices, community development and cultural landscape.’

School General Description

Srishti Institute of Art, Design & Technology (Srishti) is a design school established in 1996 by the Ujwal Trust in Bangalore, India. It offers design education in Digital Video Production, Film, Visual Communication, Experimental Media Arts, Design in Education, Textile Design, Animation and Visual Effects, Interaction Design, Product and Interface Design, Furniture and Spatial Design, Business Systems and Design and much more. Srishti has a number of centers and labs that offer practice- and research-based environments for students and faculty from a multitude of disciplines. These include (in alphabetical order): BHSI – Bangalore Human Sciences Initiative CEMA – Center for Experimental Media Arts CERTAD – Centre for Education, Research, Training and Development CPH – Centre for Public History GRIDs – Grassroots Innovation Design Studio Kabir Project[5] LEDLAB – Law+Environment+Design Laboratory Srishti Films Srishti Labs DesignEARTH Lab Natural Fibres Lab Pandimonium Lab SUI-Srishti Collaborative Blank Noise Srishti's culture encourages thinking, questioning and experimenting to harness the artistic and intellectual potential of each individual and place the institution at the leading edge of contemporary art and design discourse. A multi-disciplinary approach inculcates self-initiated learning and independent thinking and expands perceptual perspectives. Regular interaction with design studios, production and distribution centers, community projects, retail establishments and industry forms a vital bridge between Srishti and the world.