Exploring working together with MIT - Sheela Patel

Below is a summary of the meeting with MIT Dept of Urban Studies + Planning faculty and SDI, held on May 1, 2013.

The meeting was called by Bish Sanyal, as there has long been talk between he and Sheela about a possible collaboration between the two institutions, and Sheela was in town for the MIT IDG (international development group) conference.

Participants:

Eran Ben-Joseph, Larry Vale, Phil Thompson, Shomon Shamsuddin, Bish Sanyal, Balakrishnan Rajagopal (Raj), Gabriella Carolini, Sheela Patel, Ben Bradlow

· MIT is launching a new Resilient Cities Housing Initiative, anchored by Larry Vale, which will restore visibility and focus of housing research at MIT. Shomon Shamsuddin is also working on this.

· Gabriella Carolini does research focused on re-conceptualizing public responsibility and associated practices of governance.

· Bish Sanyal is focused on evaluating and building new technologies for development.

· Raj is focused on re-conceptualizing human rights, law, and social movements. Has begun a large research project on development-induced displacement.

· Phil Thompson is focused on linking housing and livelihoods-based organizing strategies in US, with a focus on historically dispossessed communities, including people of color).

· Sheela introduced history of Indian Alliance and SDI. In particular, she noted the extent to which major innovations of SDI projects do not get documented and integrated into the practices of major development institutions. Similarly, she said, "we have changed the face of community organizing," but the SDI model doesn't have recognition or a name" (in comparison to the Alinsky model, for example).

· Phil Thompson noted possibilities of working with new US ambassador to SA, Patrick Gaspard, who is interested in SDI's work, and also new chair of Ford Foundation (both personal friends of Phil). He also suggested the possibility of building projects through alternative funding mechanisms. e.g.. large pension funds of major unions in SA (COSATU, SATAWU).

· Over the course of the week, multiple faculty expressed enthusiasm about these possibilities. Ben and Sheela discussed challenges of partnering with institutions like MIT, and noted that we should continue to explore this, but that it would take steps to build trust and understanding, in order to make such a relationship mutually beneficial.

Next steps:

· It was agreed in principle that the basis for partnership should be a 5-10 year partnership based on 2-3 sub-themes. 

· Ben will work with DUSP faculty to identify what research areas they are currently working on that would overlap with work and interests of SDI. Together, will begin to see whether there are some foundational interest areas that could work for a sustained partnership.

· MIT could also work with SDI to partner with a local university in a SDI-affiliate country, along the lines of the UC-Berkeley/U of Nairobi/Muungano model.