URBIZEN

I recently received this email. It seems to be an interesting assignment for a young aspiring researcher, and some of the readers might be interested.  NYU Stern Urbanization Project ( urbanizationproject.org ) is seeking  a researcher from/ in Belgaum who can work with us on a short term assignment there. The details can be found here .  Please feel free to forward this to your colleagues.

Holding ponds in Navi Mumbai (photo: NMMC) Navi Mumbai, a planned sister city of Greater Mumbai was planned by conceived by Charles Correa, Pravina Mehta and Shirish Patel, and planned and executed by CIDCO. Navi Mumbai has a unique geography and topography. It is bound by Parsik hill, Sahyadri range on one side and Thane creek on the other side. The relative ground level at Parsik hill range is between 30 to 65 m RL and it drops down to sea level at Thane creek. The planners of Navi Mumbai have shown commendable foresight and environmental sensitivity by preserving the original lay of the land and working within the constraints of the natural topography, with minimum damage to the natural environment.  The land between the creek and the mountain forms the developable land for the city. Navi Mumbai consists of 29 villages (source: Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, NMMC). These villages are located on higher ground on the hillocks. The lower levels were subject to high tide

(Image source: Steven Holl Architects) The planned extension to the Bhau Daji Lad Museum   (BDLM) in Mumbai is generating active discussion and debate within all groups. The most controversial was the opposition from MNS (Maharashtra Navanirman Sena), whose stand is that the city needs open space more than art museums.  The international design competition for the museum extension was won by Steven Holl Architects , competing against some very famous and well-known international star architects like Rem Koolhaas and Zaha Hadid. In a lecture delivered by Steven Holl on March 10th at the museum, the architect presented some of his works in China and also presented his concept for the museum extension . Holl's talk focused on large urban projects in China, presented in a crisp and interesting manner. He stressed the need to integrate the project with the larger urban context, and the idea of generating active public spaces defined by the built form. His projects tie the conte