Datathon at IIIT-B & University of Southampton

Red Dot Foundation in collaboration with IIIT Bangalore, Web Science Trust (WSTNet) and the University of Southampton Social Impact Lab, organised a data visualization hackathon/datathon on Friday, Feb 14, 2020. The datathon was supported by the Web Science Lab (WSL), Graphics-Visualization-Computing Lab (GVCL), and the Center of Information Technology and Public Policy (CITAPP). Using crowdsourced data from Safecity as the base, we invited students to unearth the hidden stories in the narratives and create visualisations for a lay person to understand the issue. 

Fascinating findings:

• Incidents peaked during the day between 11am, 1pm, and around 5pm which coincides with the closing times of schools, colleges, and workplaces. Thus, busting the myth that sexual harassment occurs only in the dark.
• Whilst Valentine’s Day, Feb 14, seemed like a contributor to sexual harassment, fewer reports were found on this day as compared to Feb 8 that is “Propose Day” and Feb 21 that is “Break Up Day”, suggesting that the reports were an indication of unwanted attention and stalking during this period.

10th World Urban Forum at Abu Dhabi

The UN Habitat recently held the 10th World Urban Forum at Abu Dhabi which brought together over 13000 urbanists, government officials, city planners, academia, and NGOs. Red Dot Foundation which is an Associate Member of the World Urban Campaign was represented by ElsaMarie DSilva, Founder & CEO. She shared our work on inclusive urbanism and safe public spaces. The many discussions we attended and participated in, validated our current strategy and approach in finding solutions and we are determined to do more.

It was clear that the time has come for more action based interventions and we need to engage youth in this process. Having a multi-sectoral approach and a gender and climate resiliency lens is critically needed, especially in the smart city initiatives.

We are also pleased to announce that we are part of the Working Group of the Urban Thinkers Campus and we look forward to hosting another fabulous event in the coming year. 

Inclusive Urbanism at Kalaghoda Arts Fest

In partnership with the Consulate General of Sweden in Mumbai, Red Dot Foundation for the second year in a row exhibited at the Kalaghoda Arts Fest, Mumbai’s premier cultural festival. From February 1-9, the photo-exhibition ‘Sustainable and Inclusive Urbanism’ was on display to increase awareness about enabling equality, accessibility and inclusivity in our cities. We participated in a panel discussion on the current challenges and possible solutions for making Mumbai a sustainable and inclusive city. 

Panelists included Ms. Anna Lekvall, Consul General of Sweden in Mumbai; Dr. Sangita Hasnale, Assistant Commissioner - Planning, MCGM; Ms. Prathima Manohar, Founder and CEO - The Urban Vision; Mr. Nilabh Nagar, Urbanist and Architect, Hafeez Contractor; Mr. Suhas Karnik, Honorary Secretary, National Association of the Blind (NAB) and Ms. ElsaMarie D'Silva, Founder and CEO - Red Dot Foundation (Moderator).