Incubator Lab: October 2020 – June 2021 (online)
Impact Lab: September, 14 to 17, 2022 in Mumbai, India

Hosted by the Red Dot Foundation, the Lab in India, co-organised by Global Diplomacy Lab (GDL) members Elsa Marie D’Silva and Rudrani Dasgupta, invited participants to think about the impact of urban design on inclusive cities, and to contribute to building a more inclusive and safer city for all inhabitants.

The Lab brought participants to Mumbai – a city defined by its staggering contrasts: a city of dreams for some, a slum for others. Taking into account SDGs 5, 11 and 17, the Lab aimed to provide an insight into how to examine intersectionality as well as to improve governance and accountability for the city in the long run. This Lab presented an excellent opportunity to develop and try out a model for an inclusive city that could also be applied elsewhere.

The Lab invited participants to think about the impact of urban design on inclusive cities, and to contribute to building a more inclusive and safer city for all inhabitants. Four concrete ideas were developed by the members throughout the Lab:

1. Green urban commons

• Identify and map out unused areas in the city;
• Work with government, private sector, non-profits and artists to develop them into green urban greens;
• Market and brand these spaces so there is upkeep, maintenance and ownership by the local community.

2. Youth civic fellowship with city institutional bodies

• Lack of proper quality civic education for youth to participate in the socio-political system;
• Create a fellowship which has an education component, mentorship, internship and civic project for youth to ‘learn by doing’ and be active citizens;
• Work with a government body to institute this fellowship, ideally with the municipal corporation.

3. Public owned, public spaces – An application to crowdsource information ward-wise which can be used by citizens

• Crowdsource information on helplines, municipal corporations, budgets available and other civic resources ward-wise;
• Make it available, accessible and known to all citizens;
• Create an accountability mechanism as well as an interactive platform between citizens and their municipality.

4. Mumbai for all – All for Mumbai

• Involve more youth in policy and politics through education, awareness and political participation;
• Support community level interventions through public-private partnership.