Join us for a discussion on design, disparity, and who gets left out of the brief

This virtual session explores public vertical housing through a design lens, examining how design shapes and is shaped by the social and economic conditions of the communities it serves. We look at the disparity in how different communities are designed for, and ask: who do we design for?

The programme centres on two interconnected themes:

• Empathy and Human-Centred Design — How do we meaningfully account for the realities of the communities we design for? What does it look like to move beyond functional considerations toward design that genuinely reflects people's lives?

• Sociological Considerations — What makes designing for low-income high-rise residents uniquely challenging? Which factors have historically been overlooked in these projects, and what can we learn from that gap?

The session opens with a short piece from Colombo Urban Lab's Notes from the Field series, a visual and reflective entry point into the themes of the session. Anuradhi Jayasinghe will then lead the main segment, bringing her expertise to bear on these questions through discussion and critical reflection. The session closes with an open Q&A.