City Shapers Collective was launched by Mod Foundation as a long-term initiative that examines how design influences the city’s transformation and future. Bengaluru’s growth is marked by stark contrasts—between its heritage neighborhoods and tech-driven peripheries, between its bustling streets and shrinking public spaces. The City Shapers Collective addresses these complexities by positioning design as a powerful tool for rethinking the city. The initiative aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, focus on human-centric design and inspire actionable change.

The theme for City Shapers Collective 3.0 is Re: Reading Bangalore – Reading, Remembering, Reimagining.

Cities are not only constructed in brick and concrete – they are also built through language, memory, sound and image. Re: Reading Bangalore is a curatorial invitation to engage with the city as a layered text: to read it, remember it and reimagine it. The third edition of the City Shapers Collective takes on this challenge under the theme “Reading the City”—an exploration of the many ways people make sense of urban life through different media, disciplines, and perspectives. From weathered walls that hold the imprint of colonial histories to community walks that decode everyday life, from the overlooked power of street names and signage to the voice of the city captured in podcasts and oral histories—there are infinite ways in which a city can be read. This edition brings together an exciting series of presentations, and discussions that delve into the many modes of interpreting, documenting, and making sense of the urban experience.

Speakers: 

1. Kiran Natarajan | Curator, Bygone Bangalore
2. Arun Pai | Founder, BangaloreWALKS
3. Aliyeh Rizvi | Place-based Storyteller and Founder of Native Place
4. Indu Antony | Multi-disciplinary Artist and Founder of Namma Katte

RSVP here