MISSION

• Contribute to addressing the power/knowledge imbalance in urban planning, urban studies and allied disciplines

• Provide a forum for South-South exchanges

• Open up new dialogues between scholars, students and citizen groups

• Represent the contexts in which we live and work

• Set the agenda for research and practice, particularly in the global South

• Review Northern representations of the global South

• Contribute to a better understanding of cities and planning globally

• Insist on ethical research relationships between the global North and South

• Provide a space for global South-affiliated scholars to express their experiences

• Mentor the next generation of scholars to be independent thinkers, keenly aware of positionality

MILESTONES

The group started as a modest effort to initiate a South-South dialogue between Indian and Latin American scholars. Over the first two meetings it became clear that our understanding of each other was mediated by Northern perspectives. Many expressed the need for a space of open expression, communication and mutual recognition. It was also felt that the initiative should be expanded beyond geographic definitions.