THE JAMES ROBERT VETHANAVAM INAUGURAL MEMORIAL LECTURE

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Lecture Title: RE-VISIONING CITIES IN THE CLIMATE CRISIS ERA:
A Nature Led Planning & Development Aporoach
Speaker: Architect PK DAS from PKDA Architects, Mumbai

2.30pm - 5.30pm at Dewan President, PAM Centre
CPD Points Applied

The James Robert Vethavanam Memorial Lecture series seeks to revisit the vision and values JRV held for his profession, his social values and his adopted country, defending his status as a Malayan and working towards the wellbeing of all regardless of race.

The lecture series hopes to stimulate ethical understanding of the power architects, builders and other related professions have over land and therefore biodiversity, impact on climate change and all issues related to sustainable development.

This inaugural programme features an inspiring lecture by a distinguished speaker followed by closed roundtable sessions aimed at fostering change in current design and building policy and practice.

About the Speaker:

Architect-Urban Planner-Activist P.K Das has been among the foremost voices on preservation of open spaces in Mumbai, and is the voice of sustainable and equitable development in the city. In the past many years he has been actively working, writing and implementing projects reflecting these critical concerns and discussing ways of intervention to evolve sustainable cities. He believes that architecture as well as the larger umbrella of town planning must be charged with the highest democratic ideals. His plans for neighbourhoods in Mumbai and the publication of ‘Vision Juhu’ and Open Mumbai books expresses his commitment to the idea of neighbourhood based city planning that enables maximum participation.

His work in the expansion of public spaces, the development of Mumbai’s coastline in particular and his slum rehabilitation projects have won him several national and international awards including the first ‘Urban Age Award’ instituted by the London School of Economics and Deutsche Bank, which was conferred to the Mumbai Waterfronts Centre of which PK Das is the Chairperson. Other awards include ‘Clearwater Citizens Award’ by ‘Waterfront Center’, Washington, USA, 2002 and most recently the prestigious first International ‘Jane Jacobs Medal- 2016.

He is also the Founder and publisher of a fortnightly e-journal– “Question of Cities: Nature, People and Sustainability”. More info at questionsofcities.org & www.pkdas.com