Design Impact Series: South Asia – Design Agency & Climate Change

Date & Time
Free and open to the public

This is the third installment in a broader series of virtual symposia being organized by the Harvard Graduate School of Design Alumni Council. The first two events, Transformations at the Intersection of Equity, Climate Change, and Health and Homelessness: Ethics/Policy/Action have attracted thousands of attendees from across the globe.

Design Impact Vol. 3: South Asia – Design Agency & Climate Change examines the understanding of design and development as applied or framed in the South Asian context with a particular emphasis on equity and socio-economic development. The event is organized into two panels presenting diverse voices followed by a moderated discussion and an audience question and answer session.

The first panel, Global Orientations and Local Perspectives will unravel the depth of enquiry and the degree of success in balancing global orientations and local practices in multiple South Asian cities. The second panel, Climate Migration in South Asia will bring forth perspectives on climate migration in South Asia as a trigger to other forms of migration and the need for transformation and innovation in humanitarian response.

Panelists

Session 1: Global Orientations and Local Perspectives / 10:40 – 11:55 PM EST (Feb 24)

Theoretical underpinnings and practice in South Asia have been typically viewed as derivatives of the Global North. With increased scholarship on localized knowledge, and the need to engage with unique constraints, urban practices can no longer be merely defined in terms of appropriating global discourses. This panel examines pressing questions of geo-political agendas, unbridled urbanization, and thematic prerogatives in the design discourse through the lens of diverse stakeholders in the South Asian development landscape.

​Session Curator: Seetha Raghupathy, CEO Seagull Studio, Architect and Urban Designer, based in Chennai, India
Session Moderator: Naksha Satish, Master of Architecture in Urban Design 2022, Harvard University, Architect and Urban Practitioner, based in Bangalore, India


Panelists

Session 2: Climate Migration in South Asia / 12:00 – 1:15 AM EST (Feb 25)

Climate change-induced displacement is a grim reality for South Asia’s densely populated regions. The problem is one of both time and scale. It extends beyond the local to impact people globally, as migration is not just an internal challenge but also impacts cross-border relations. This panel presents experts from diverse fields who will talk about the transformation necessary in international governance, policy, finance, and design to mitigate challenges that may leave the most vulnerable, helpless.

Session Curator & Moderator: Nupur Gurjar, Harvard University, MDE ’21, Designer, Architect, based in Cambridge, MA
Session Keynote: Ms. Licypriya Kangujam, 9-Year-Old Climate Activist & Founder, The Child Movement

Panelists

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