Design and planning for the just city

How to advance progressive urban planning and design practices across contexts?

This question explores alternative design and planning methodologies to address transformative change in cities of the global South. It builds on DPU’s critique of mainstream design and planning practices, largely inherited from colonial and post-colonial development processes. DPU’s attempts to reframe understandings of design and planning as “collective strategic action” through a re-examination of the relationships between the state, civil society and the private sector are core to this sub-cluster and builds on long-standing research and research action activities with a diverse range of global partners.

Key research questions include:

• • How can design and planning support the agency of oppressed groups?
  • The travelling of planning and design – a question??
  • Knowledge? including role of experts?
  • Collective action
  • Co-production/Service delivery
  • Regulations/procedures; informality