Dow Sustainability Fellows Present at Sustainability Hour Seminar

The 2015 Dow Fellowship recipients recently presented at the North Campus Sustainability Hour Seminar on December 9, 2015. The team showcased their project, “Sfurti – Inclusive Urban Growth in India.” Current fellows include: Michelle Hindman, Olivia Lu-Hill, Sean Murphy, Sneha Rao, Yash Shah, and Zeqi Zhu. The recipients’ fields of study range from Architecture to Engineering.

“Sfurti – Inclusive Growth in India” focuses on development in Mumbai, India, where the team traveled last semester to study the area and best design a sustainable housing unit for the local slums. Many slum dwellers are often pushed out of their housing by the creation of new housing structures that they cannot afford. The Dow team put together a preliminary report of housing and new apartment structures that create a positive and culturally aware space and allow current slum residents to remain in their homes, all in a way that is sustainable and keeps the costs of living down. The buildings integrate the Mumbai street culture, an integral piece of this living arrangement. Every fifth floor is able to be built up with shops and storefronts by the dwellers. This would be not only be a business area for shops, but also a common space for religious practices and social engagements. The fellows hope to continue with this project and later present their findings and plans.

The Dow Sustainability Fellowship is an endowment for an interdisciplinary team working to create a project that develops a comprehensive stance or an analysis of options on a particular sustainability challenge of the team’s choosing.

For more on the Dow Sustainability Fellowship: sustainability.umich.edu/dow