Around the world, too many people are excluded from the freedoms of development, and basic entitlements: decent housing, security of tenure, and access to water and sanitation, excluding them from prosperity and equal opportunity. New forms of urban education and practice can expand those freedoms. Working with people in low-income households and communities, urban professionals can better address the problems of the contemporary city and help unlock the benefits of development.

People Building Better Cities: Participation and Inclusive Urbanization, is traveling to ten countries to exchange knowledge, build networks, and promote dialogue between communities, urban professionals, universities, non-governmental organizations, and policy makers on the challenges of inclusive urbanization and climate change. While the exhibition focus is on developing countries, it speaks to urban issues in developed countries such as growing inequality and climate change.  Associated public events, organized in collaboration with partners in each city, will localize the exhibition content.

Building on the work of Global Studio, an international educational program, the exhibition documents community-driven projects that share a common goal: the promotion of inclusive urbanization through innovations in participatory design and planning.

Exhibition Inquiries
Anna Rubbo, PBBC Project Director: [email protected]

PBBC Exhibition Design and Development

Anna Rubbo Global Studio Founder; Senior Scholar, CSUD, The Earth Institute, Columbia University; Adjunct Associate Professor, FADP, University of Sydney

Megan Bullock Creative Director, MESH Design, New York

Matthias Neumann Architect, Normaldesign, New York

Devangi Ramakrishnan Urban Designer, Urban Design Collective, Pondicherry

Jennifer van den Bussche Sticky Situations, Johannesburg

HY William Chan Student, FADP, University of Sydney

Project Advisory Group

Nirupam Bajpal Director, Columbia Global Centers, South Asia, India

Somsook Boonyabancha Secretary General ACHR (Asian Coalition for Housing Rights), Thailand

Louise Cox UIA Immediate Past President, Australia

Alexandre Apsan Frediani DPU, University College London, UK

Nabeel Hamdi Professor Emeritus, Oxford Brookes University, UK

Marie Huchzemeyer Professor, School of Architecture & Planning, Wits University, Johannesburg, South Africa

Jacqueline Klopp Research Scholar, CSUD, The Earth Institute, Columbia University, USA

Geeta Mehta GSAPP, Columbia University & URBZ India

Peter Phibbs Professor, Architecture, Design & Planning, University of Sydney; Director Henry Halloran Trust, Australia

Paul Pholeros Director, Healthabitat, Australia

Edgar Pieterse Research Chair in Urban Policy & Director, ACC (African Centre for Cities), University of Cape Town, South Africa

Elliott Sclar Professor, GSAPP; Director, CSUD, Earth Institute, Columbia University, USA

Cynthia E. Smith Curator, Socially Responsible Design, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, New York, USA

D. Ajay Suri Cities Alliance, South Asia Region, India

GLOBAL STUDIO AT UIA Durban