“There is no logic that can be superimposed on the city; people make it, and it is to them, not buildings, that we must fit our plans.” - Jane Jacobs

Learning through Fieldwork and Community Engagement. Image Courtesy: Law, Environment & Planning, SMI

About the Program

Cities are defined by its architecture or buildings, however equally important are the spaces between these buildings. It is both the built and the unbuilt spaces that are accessible to all that we call public spaces.

Spaces such as streets, parks, museums, transportation hubs, malls, markets and so on, are vital to community. Without these spaces people would find it difficult to buy essentials, earn a living, play sports or socialise. A city with poor quality of public spaces offers a low quality of life, the impact of which is felt most by its vulnerable populations. The absence of critical amenities such as well-designed public toilets, wheelchair accessible ramps, seating areas to rest, and street lighting limit participation of large parts of a community including women, the elderly, and children, in public life. The discipline of Public Space Design critically examines how public spaces may be transformed to help create more equitable, just and inclusive communities.

The one-year Postgraduate Diploma Program in Public Space Design at the Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology introduces the field to aspiring practitioners who have not previously studied architecture, planning or other professional degree. The program focuses on collaborative and participatory approaches to designing public spaces and will be suitable for those who have an interest in public space, cities and urbanism. After completion, graduates of the program will be able to pursue advanced postgraduate degrees in public space design or related fields.

Course Structure

Taught over two semesters, this one-year graduate level program is designed to build a strong foundation towards the Masters programs (M.F.A, M.Des, M.Plan). The program is delivered through course work which is hands on and rooted in context

Studios
Workshops
Contextual enquiry
Theory and Understanding Units
Project
Portfolio development
Knowledge Enhancement (Ability or Skills)

Learning Approaches

The Bridge program has been crafted for students to develop their creative skills at a foundational level.

• The program encourages the understanding of art and design practice through unlearning.
• The process helps students reflect on their training so far, break down convictions and reorient them for discovery.
• Acquire proficiency in using tools of thinking, visualisation, inquiry and questioning.

Work-In-Progress Review with Peers, in the Studio. Image Courtesy: Law, Environment & Planning, SMI

Capability Sets

• To examine and engage in enquiry of cultural, political, environmental and historical uniqueness of place.
• To engage with communities using  a participatory approach.
• To be sensitive to multiple stakeholder perspectives, respect diversity and help design for just and inclusive communities.
• To expand ideas of art, design, and sustainability to make their own practice more informed and enriched.

Opportunities

• To undertake an advanced degree program in public space design or related fields
• To develop once own art and design practice with a focus on public spaces, communities and urbanism
• Employment in research and development organizations, NGOs & social enterprises

People

Enquiries

Disciplinary Intersections

The program is informed by the following learning disciplines:

Research and Collaboration

FAQs