Between breaths – a pause to greet the new year
“A sigh isn't just a sigh. We inhale the world and breathe out meaning.”
The Moor's Last Sigh, Salman Rushdie
Sometime around February 2020, there was a new word in the air, COVID-19, and that made us all worry about our breath. As March came and went, we were all asked to stay at home, and help flatten the curve. The months after that stilled or sped, depending on the day – the virus, which we could not comprehend with our senses, seemed to even change the way we experienced time. Here we are, at the beginning of a year and there are new words in the air, vaccine, immunogenicity, and herd immunity. And so, we wish for a year of hope, of course, tempered with care.
A very short video of what we hope to do in 2021 at Fields of View:
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COVID-19 efforts
Given Fields of View’s work in acting as a bridge between government and civil society organisations, during the lockdown and its aftermath, we have worked with the Department of Labour, GoK, the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department (RDPR), GoK and various other civil society organisations in Karnataka to help create SOPs, tools for their work and designing processes.
What we did during the lockdown and its aftermath:
- Worked to help better the interface between the Government and civil society groups by assisting in the creation of Standard Operating Procedures to coordinate relief efforts between the Government and civil society groups.
- Documented an overview of the various relief types and the relief operations carried out by the Department of Labour, GoK for migrant labourers and other vulnerable groups, the flow of operations for this relief effort, changes in this flow of operations, current gaps and challenges and recommendations and design for the future.
- Documented under the guidance and support of the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department (RDPR), GoK, the relief efforts in the state of Karnataka. The report ‘Solidarity in the times of COVID-19’ provides a bird's eye view of the relief efforts the non-governmental organisations in Karnataka undertook and the challenges they faced in procuring and providing appropriate and timely relief to those in need.
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We Are Not Users: Dialogues, Diversity, and Design
In February 2020, We are not Users: Dialogue, Diversity, and Design was released by MIT Press, USA. The book co-authored by Sruthi Krishnan, Eswaran Subrahmanian and Yoram Reich is a call to reclaim and rethink the field of designing as a liberal art where diverse voices come together to shape the material world. |
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Scenario based analysis of change in fare for public transport on ridership, congestion and emissions in Bangalore
In line with our ongoing work on public transport, we released a publication, ‘Scenario based analysis of change in fares for public transport on ridership, congestion and emissions in Bangalore’. The report delineates different scenarios that explore the trade-offs and consequences of the reduction of fares towards building a sustainable transportation for Bangalore. |
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Using systemic models in games and simulations for participatory planning
Harsha and Bharath M Palavalli published the paper “Using systemic models in games and simulations for participatory planning” at RSD9 (Relating Systems Thinking and Design) conference in September 2020.
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Play, imagine, build - the collective verbs
In December 2020, Sruthi published an article, Play, imagine, build - the collective verbs in the new edition of the Ding magazine "About the Future in Crises”. The article, talks about how games were used to engage people in neighbourhood planning. |
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Welcome to Paanipura, a city struggling to provide its residents with water. Can you help Paanipura tackle its water challenges?
As part of project Hanigalu, we have designed a simulation-based learning tool to understand the challenges in water planning, taking into account both equity and sustainability. The project is a collaboration between Fields of View, Profs. Manu Mathai and Rajesh Joseph from Azim Premji University, Bangalore Sustainability Forum and Architecture for Dialogue (AfD). The tool is designed for classroom training. Curious to know more? Mail us at info@fieldsofview.in.
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April
Webinar: Scenario based analysis of change in fares for public transport on ridership, congestion and emissions in Bangalore
In collaboration with the Citizens Agenda for Bengaluru, we conducted a webinar with the members of the Bangalore Mobility Group in April to discuss the publication, Scenario based analysis of change in fares for public transport on ridership, congestion and emissions in Bangalore.
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April
Webinar: Beyond COVID-19: Public Transport in Bangalore
Harsha and Vaibhav conducted a webinar, “Beyond COVID-19: Public Transport in Bangalore” in April to discuss the health and safety concerns around public transportation, potential short term and long-term interventions after lockdown and financial models that could be explored for maintaining adequate public transport services.
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April to November
Workshop: Technology Program by Ashoka and Google
As part of the Technology program initiated by Ashoka and Google, Fields of View took part in capacity building sessions for not-for-profit organisations in Asia from April to November.
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June
Workshop: Reimagining Mobility Workshop
Yashwin and Harsha participated in a two-day online workshop focussed on Reimagining Mobility. This workshop was facilitated by Asar in collaboration with UMI (Urban Mobility India) to discuss the strategies and ideas relevant for Indian cities on mobility and transport.
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July
Festival: Games for Change (G4C) Virtual Festival
As part of the 2020 Games for Change Virtual Festival, we showcased our work on games and simulations at the G4C booth.
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July
Webinar: Cantors World demonstration with NASPAA (Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration)
On July 15th 2020, Bharath Moro and Harsha conducted a sustainable city simulation webinar in collaboration with NASPAA. The webinar focussed on understanding resource management in cities post-COVID-19 through our Cantors World simulation to understand trade-offs.
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July
Talk: Participatory policy with design
A session on 'Participatory policy with design' was conducted by Sruthi for Art with Intent, an online community that empowers people with the power of art & design.
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August
Webinar: Behind the Scenes
As part of the “Behind the Scenes” series by Studiopod, Mumbai, Sruthi gave a talk on August 10th 2020 regarding the work undertaken in Fields of View through various stories and experiences from our games and simulations.
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August
Webinar: NID (National Institute of Design) Gyan Adda
On 11th August 2020, as part of NID Gyan Adda, Sruthi gave a session regarding the range of work undertaken in FoV in creating games and simulations for better policy making.
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September
Game Session: Weight of Labels
A session of the game Weight of Labels, a game that deals with challenges related to diversity in a workplace, was conducted with SASHA (Support Against Sexual Harassment), a civil society organisation that works on promoting diversity and inclusion in workplaces. |
October
Talk: Participation in the RSD9 (Relating Systems Thinking and Design) Symposium
Harsha and Bharath M Palavalli presented the work done as part of the paper “Using systemic models in games and simulations for participatory planning” at the RSD9 symposium virtually held by National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad on 14th October 2020.
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October
Game Session: Weight of Labels
A session of the game 'Weight of Labels', a game on the challenges interns from diverse ethnic backgrounds face in small and medium industries in the Netherlands, was conducted with Dr. Artie Ramsodit of citysolutions.nl, and participants from Dutch academia, government, and liaisons between academia and small and medium industries. |
October
Workshop: FoV workshop with Civika Asian Development Academy, Philippines
On October 30th 2020, we conducted an FoV workshop for members of Civika Asian Development Academy and other organisations from Philippines. The session aimed at understanding the issues faced by different stakeholders in the domain of local development, health and leadership development in Philippines.
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November
Panel Discussion: Technology and Humanity forum by Ashoka
On 10th November 2020, Bharath M Palavalli participated as a panellist in the technology and humanity forum organised by Ashoka.
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November
Webinar: Impact of the 74th Constitution Amendment Act on urban mobility and public spaces
As part of an elective course on Urban Mobility and engagement with public spaces, Srinidhi conducted an online session on 19th November 2020 on impact of the 74th Constitution Amendment Act on urban mobility and public spaces for students of APU (Azim Premji University). This session included interactive exercises focussed on the institutional aspects of urban mobility and public spaces through the lens of the 74th Constitution Amendment Act.
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December
Workshop: Livelihood workshop with YUVA (Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action)
As part of the Livelihood project undertaken by Fields of View in collaboration with YUVA, University of Edinburgh, National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) and International Centre for Research and Policy on Childhood, Brazil, Srinidhi and Vaibhav along with YUVA conducted a three-day workshop on 21st, 22nd and 23rd December 2020. The objective of the workshop was to introduce the participants to the concept of livelihoods, to macro-level policies and techniques to examine and critically analyse public policies.
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