Past, Present, Future
SOCB Presents
Transformative Workshops Across Three Geographies in India – Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Pune
MY CITY – MY WATER
Water sources have been the genesis of human settlement. Since prehistoric times, humans have settled along and around water bodies. Human habitation has treasured and worshipped water; civilizations have risen and fallen due to the health of water bodies. Today, however, the condition of water bodies in most Indian cities is dismal. Urban piped water supply systems have severed our ties with the sacred source. With urbanization, we have turned our backs to these water bodies, and have turned them into waste and sewage dumping sites.
Increased concretization by us, has affected water tables, encroachment, on the supply streams by us, is causing lakes to dry up and decay and then, we wonder, why our cities are facing water crisis? As citizens, students and urban practitioners in the city, have you wondered, “What does the city and its water sources mean to me? How can I reconnect with them? What can I do to preserve them? Why do our cities flood? Why does half the city not get enough water?” Then this is the workshop which will help you think and act on it.
Through these workshops, we wish to bring citizens, students, urban practitioners, and change makers together, to understand cities and their relationship with water collectively. We will engage with experts, both local and global, who will share their experience, expertise and thoughts on the way forward. Through the workshop we will work collectively in an interdisciplinary group to brainstorm causal factors and solutions, deeply rooted in local climate, culture, traditions, materials, and context-specific challenges.
Be Inspired, Take Action.
If this resonates with you and ignites your curiosity, we invite you to join us on this transformative journey. This is your chance to rethink, reflect, and act—together.
Join us for three immersive courses in three vibrant cities, each addressing unique urban water challenges through education, collaboration, and action:
1) Reviving Hyderabad’s Water Bodies: Explore ways to restore, sustain and augment Hyderabad’s water ecosystems – June 5–6, 2025
2) Reimagining cities as part of the whole: A case of Pune city – June 16–17, 2025
3) Rethinking Flood Resilience in Mumbai: Delve into strategies to mitigate urban flooding in one of India’s most dynamic cities – June 19–20, 2025
Why Join These Courses?
These workshops are not just courses—they are transformative experiences. Breaking away from traditional academic formats, SOCB provides:
– A collective and participatory approach to solving place-based issues.
– Hands-on learning through site visits, group discussions, and creative collaborations.
– The opportunity to work across disciplines with participants from diverse backgrounds.
– Freedom to express ideas through various media: drawings, renders, photography, sketches, films, text, models, and more.
– Projects deeply rooted in local climate, culture, traditions, materials, and context-specific challenges.
– A unique chance to get your work published and exhibited.
Who Should Attend?
Open to students, professionals, and change makers, from all disciplines, passionate about sustainable development and collective problem-solving.
Limited Seats for each workshop – early registration recommended
Mode and tentative schedule of the workshop
DAY 1
Day one, Session one: The session would entail expert talks and discussions on local and global challenges and solutions. For each city, local experts will speak on city-specific issues, while our overseas experts will speak about global issues.
Each participant, irrespective of participation in any city, will get the opportunity to attend (online) the day 1 discussion in the other two cities. This will give the participants a holistic understanding of the subject and the unique opportunity to understand the issues of each city.
Day One, Session two: The participants of the particular cities, will be introduced to the field. Mentors will share relevant data for further working.
DAY 2
Day Two, Session one: Participants will physically visit the area of study to see the field first hand and understand issues. This will entail walking through settlements, mapping, conversing with locals, data collection.
Day Two, Session two: Participants will be divided in groups along with mentors to brainstorm issues. Probable solutions rooted in the local geography, culture, sustainability and community can be discussed and explored together.
Post workshop, the participants can continue to work on specific issues of their choice and refine ideas further, with inputs and discussions with mentors if required. This way, this workshop gives a unique opportunity to the participants to continue the thought process on these projects, post the intensive workshop. The final output can be submitted to SOCB’s Sustainable SIX exhibition, a global platform that allows you to showcase your work in an exclusive exhibition.
(Sustainable SIX is SOCB’s flagship program, which provides an opportunity for revolutionary projects, research breakthroughs, or innovative, sustainable ideas – realised or conceptual. We believe that ground-breaking ideas deserve a global platform, where they can inspire and ignite change)
Faculty
Learn from esteemed national and international experts, offering unparalleled insights and guidance.
Local Guest Speakers: (In-person)
Two Local Guests: Hyderabad
Two Local Guests: Pune
Two Local Guests: Mumbai
*guest names will be announced soon
International Guest Speakers: (online)
Ms. Aurelie De Smet – Belgium.
Mr. Moritz Elbert – Italy.
Ms. Rasha Sukkarieh – France and Lebanon.
Mr. Panagiotis Papgeorgiou – UK and Greece.
Workshop Mentors: (In-person)
Ms. Sonali Dahotre – Pune, India.
Ms. Priya Chavan – India.
Mr. Santosh Kumar Ketham – Hyderabad, India and Austria.
Outcomes
● An understanding of each city’s issues with a local lens while connecting them to larger development and geographical frames
● Hands-on experience in field engagement while equipping the participants with various research skills and methods
● Experience in interdisciplinary groups and working towards solutions through peer learning
● Understanding cities and flooding across three geographies/cities
● Opportunity to showcase your work on a global platform through SOCB’s Sustainable SIX
About SOCB – The School of Collectively Building
Contact: Any questions please write Email to: workshops3cities.india@gmail.com
Supported and Partnered:
Ketham’s Atelier Architects
Thinking Hand NGO
SOCB 