September 12-21, 2016
Summer School:
Urban transformations in the Rhine Ruhr Area
In line with network’s thematic research area “Natural and Cultural Heritage as new Commons”, the summer school in Delhi, India addressed recent topics on natural and cultural heritage within the framework of a fast developing country. The summer school at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was jointly organized by Suresh Babu, Milap Punia (both JNU), Peter Dannenberg and Alexander Follmann (both UoC). 18 master and PhD students from JNU and UoC participated in the program.
Focusing on Faridabad, a southern satellite town of the megacity Delhi, the group studied the rapid transformation of peri-urban areas, typically for many urban agglomerations in the Global South.
The empirical work of the summer school focused on the transformation of agriculture and land-use changes to understand emerging dynamics, as agricultural practices are strongly linked to the natural and cultural heritage of the region.
Besides gaining thematic and methodological insights, the students gained experience in working in interdisciplinary and intercultural research groups engaging in a complex research environment.