Global Talk: Architect & Activist
28 March 2019 12:00 till 13:30 - Location: Lecture Hall A, Faculty of A&BE, Building 8, Julianalaan 134, 2628 BL Delft - By: PK Das | Add to my calendar
Walking the thin line between professional practice and social & environmental outreach
There is a constant division of our cities into unequal parts, both in social and spatial terms. Our cities are producing and re-producing backyards of exclusion, discrimination, neglect and abuse; even natural habitats are being systematically destroyed, leading to increasing levels of intolerance and social unrest, undermining the very idea of cities. And while cities are expanding, public spaces are rapidly shrinking, in both physical and democratic terms, which means space for wider public participation and dialogue are also shrinking.
PK Das’s key objective is to use his architectural and design activities to unify these unequal and conflicting fragments of cities, all the while engaging closely with social and environmental movements. His priority is to establish a close relationship between people and architecture, and this can be achieved by placing strong emphasis on participatory planning at every stage of design. In this way, PK Das hopes to contribute to larger struggles for the democratization of cities.
About our speaker
PK Das is popularly known as an Architect-Activist. His priority has been to establish a close relation between architecture and people by involving them in a participatory planning process.
His wide spectrum of work includes organizing slum dwellers for better living and evolving affordable housing models, engaging in policy framework for mass housing, reclaiming public space in Mumbai by developing the waterfronts, re-envisioning the city and open spaces of Mumbai, urban renewal and conservation projects, and an architectural practice involving urban planning, urban design, architecture and interior design. PK Das hopes to integrate architecture and democracy to bring about desired social change.
PK Das
The Global Talks are organized by the TU Delft | Global Initiative. In the Global Talk, thought leaders on global development share their ideas. Ideas on how the academic community, policy makers, and business sector can work together and use science and technology to find concrete solutions to worldwide problems.