The Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) invites applications for the eighth iteration of the Urban Fellows Programme (UFP) 2023-24. It seeks to combine classroom teaching, site-based applied learning, work in live projects, and internships to introduce learners to diverse forms of urban practice. The eighth iteration of UFP will run from August 2023 to May 2024.
About the UFP:
The Urban Fellows Programme (UFP) is scholarship-based, nine-month, full-time, residential and interdisciplinary, situated at the IIHS, City Campus in Bengaluru. Through the UFP, Fellows understand issues of urbanisation in India and the global South; learn from practice; develop skills necessary to tackle key urban issues in India; build an interdisciplinary foundation; network with thought leaders; and learn from a diverse and experienced faculty. Watch this video to know more about the UFP.
Eligibility: Recent graduates and young professionals from varied educational backgrounds or practice domains who were born on or after 1 August 1993 are eligible to apply. The UFP is committed to providing scholarships to candidates who receive admission and are unable to pay the tuition, after a review of their financial needs. To know more about the eligibility criteria, click here.
The UFP Curriculum:
The UFP consists of seven key Learning Elements across three terms- Commons, Electives and Practice.
The Commons: Using a mix of classroom-based teaching, and case-based learning, the Commons is where Fellows understand the different approaches, systems, aspects and components that make up the urban.
Electives: Electives build on concepts and skills taught in the Commons and allow learners to create their own trajectory through the UFP by focusing on particular sectors and focus areas they want to develop.
Practica and Projects: 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. As part of Projects, in the Practice Term, Fellows have an option to work on live IIHS projects across IIHS research, practice and capacity building programmes as well as in IIHS Labs for two months, enabling real-time application of theories and skills learnt during UFP.
Exposure Visit: 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 cities in India. From 2020 to 2022, Exposure Visits to cities outside Karnataka were not conducted due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Exposure Visits were an integral component of the Programme for 2022-23. Fellows visited Mumbai, Hyderabad, Trichy and Tirunellveli.
Masterclasses: Masterclasses provide Fellows with opportunities to meet thought-leaders and practitioners from India and across the world, to learn about their work and the challenges they face as practitioners in different disciplines and domains.
Skill Labs: Through the UFP, Fellows are equipped with the most appropriate technical, analytical and professional skills taught through a series of labs, as well as through assignments and the Practica and Projects.
Internship: In the Practice Term, Fellows may choose to undertake a IIHS live Project or Independent Project or opt for a two-month internship with an external organisation. The UFP Internship is conceived as one of the key learning elements critical in transitioning Fellows from classroom learning to the complex world of work and practice. Internships are offered in government departments and public institutions, private firms and practices, non-governmental organisations, research think-tanks, development sector organisations and planning and design firms, among others.
How to Apply:
To start your application, please visit the website. Admissions and submission deadlines is 3rd May, 2023.
Contact:
Stay updated with information about the UFP on the IIHS Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn channels. For queries, write to us at [email protected] or contact us at +91 99012 55788, 96064 84336. For more information, please visit the website.