Abohar Urban Fellows Program: Call for Application
Project PI: Dr. Anu Sabhlok, IISER Mohal
OBJECTIVE: Providing guidelines and site-speci c design interventions for sustainable and inclusive
urban growth for Abohar town with particular emphasis on making cities women and family friendly.
We are inviting applications for a full-time 6 month urban fellowship program for the Abohar project.Abohar
is a town in the Fazilka district of Punjab. It has a long history of cotton and Kino farming and is built as a
typical Mandi town
The objective is to think together about issues of economy, aesthetics and ecology while designing for an
inclusive and vibrant urban environment. Urban development needs to be sensitive to local ecosystems and
to foster an urban climate that provides for aesthetically enriching, diverse, healthy, equitable, and
community oriented city spaces. This project aims to conduct an urban analysis of the historical, social and
urban architectural context of Abohar and suggest speci c design interventions based on this analysis. The
design interventions will be guided by best principles in sustainable urban development such as ideas of
inclusivity, ecology and equity, regenerative design and urban art.
This project is exemplary in that it truly integrates research, teaching and social engagement towards
studying and resolving a real world problem where the proposed interventions have a high likelihood of
being implemented.
Senior fellows: They should be trained as architects with additional background in social research. They
will be required to lead aspects of the project such as eldwork, analysis, design and documentation.
Preferably the candidate will have experience in qualitative research and well versed with urban studies
literature. They should be able to present the documentation and analysis in various visual and textual
formats
Junior fellows: They should be trained architects with interests in related elds (landscape, urban design/
planning etc.) and have expertise in mapping softwares (such as GIS), Autocad, Adobe creative suite and
other relevant softwares. Enthusiastic about social research, eldwork, urban analysis and ecology.
We are seeking fellows who are self-driven, team-players and passionate about urban issues. Our intention is
to nurture local talent and build capacity. We encourage applications from women, people with disabilities,
underrepresented minorities and those from economically and/or socially disadvantaged categories
DURATION AND SCOPE: The fellowship requires a full-time commitment of 6 months and will involve
extended eldwork in Abohar (approximately 3-4 weeks) and studio work in Chandigarh tri-city area.
Tentative duration is from April 15-Oct 15, 2021.
FELLOWSHIP: The senior fellows will receive a fellowship amount of Rs 50,000 pm while the junior
fellows will receive Rs. 35,000 pm. Travel, boarding, lodging and meal costs for Urban fellows during the
workshops and eldwork in Abohar will be taken care of by the Abohar MC. In Chandigarh tri-city region
the fellows will be responsible for nding their own accommodation. The fellowship will be paid directly by
the Abohar Municipal Corporation
LOCATION: The fellows will primarily be based in the Chandigarh tri-city area. Studios and workshops
may happen in IISER Mohali (Sector 81, SAS Nagar) or in Studio Aureole (499, sector 12, Panchkula)
TO APPLY: Please send a cover letter discussing your interest in the project, CV, Name of two referees with
contact details, portfolio (for architects) or writing sample (for social researchers). Please send all application
materials to Dr. Anu Sabhlok, [email protected] by April 10, 2021. Interviews for shortlisted
applicants will be scheduled on April 12th and the project will begin soon after.
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