Nabeel Hamdi: Participatory Practise

Noted author Nabeel Hamdi has consulted on participatory action planning and upgrading of slums in cities to all major international development agencies, and to charities and NGOs worldwide. Here he describes how the central principle of participatory practise is at the core of all of the ideals that we strive for in working with cities – equality, efficiency, sustainability, resilience, and so on. This is a core condition of making successful urbanism, and is relevant in a wide diversity of contexts across the world. He explains that building community with all of those who have a stake in the human habitat is essential. The economy of intangible assets, which are necessary for human development – expands people’s choices and allowing them to lead lives of value. He posits that as designers our role is to cultivate an environment of choice and improvisation, liberating the resourcefulness of many. An architecture of choice, rather than form.Nabeel is the author of Small Change (Earthscan, 2004), Housing Without Houses (IT Publications, 1995), co-author of Making Micro Plans (IT Publications 1988) and Action Planning for Cities (John Wiley and Sons, 1997), and editor of the collected volumes Educating for Real (IT Publications 1996) and Urban Futures (IT Publications 2005).