City Initiatives
LOW COST HOUSING LOANS
Based upon the success of our former micro housing revolving loans to 2 SHGs of 10 families each in Molarbandh resettlement area, we provided another grant of 2 million yen to start up one more group. For more information please visit (http://www.arpana.org/service/delhi_molarbund.asp) or (www.arpana.org)
URBZ and URBAN TYPHOON WORKSHOPS
Asia Initiatives is supporting the development of an Internet interface to allow people everywhere to learn about and participate in improving their public spaces, streets, neighborhoods and cities. Existing technologies such as Google Earth, Wikimedia and YouTube are used in Mash-up to provide a geotag system of uploading multimedia information suitable for use by communities and experts with different languages or limited literacy to communicate. Asia Initiatives also supported the first field test of the system in the vibrant neighborhood of Koliwada, Dharavi in Mumbai. This was done at the Urban Typhoon workshop on March 2008. Since then workshops have been held with various local partners in Shimokitazawa in Tokyo, Sishane-Galata in Istanbul, and Khirkee village in Delhi (www.urbz.org) or (www.dharavi.org)
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN NEW YORK STUDIO ON DHARAVI
Geeta Mehta and URBZ are helping with the Columbia University Urban Design studio. The students spent an intense week working alongside local people in Dharavi, and are now developing strategies for a redevelopment of Dharavi that would also protect and enhance the amazing social capital of the over 90 distinct communities.
