Inaugural Cox Lecture at U.Va.'s Architecture School Examines Indian Urbanism

March 23, 2012 — Vikramaditya Prakash, an expert in urbanism in India, will give the inaugural James A.D. Cox Lecture at the University of Virginia School of Architecture on March 30, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., in Campbell Hall, room 153.

Prakash's lecture, "Uncertain Urbanism," will discuss the urbanism of Chandigarh, India, in the age of globalization. The Chandigarh Urban Lab is dedicated to researching urbanism in small and mid-size towns in globalizing India. In collaboration with faculty and students of the University of Washington and the Chandigarh College of Architecture, the lab engages local architects, landscape architects, urbanists, planners, activists and administration in its research to identify sustainable urban practices.

Prakash has published multiple papers and books, including "Chandigarh's Le Corbusier: The Struggle for Modernity in Postcolonial India" (University of Washington Press, Seattle & Mapin Publishing, Ahmedabad, 2002), "A Global History of Architecture" (with Francis DK Ching and Mark Jarzombek, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2006) and "Colonial Modernities: Building, Dwelling and Architecture in British India and Ceylon" (co-edited with Peter Scriver, Routledge, 2007). "A Global History" is being translated into five languages.

The lecture is named for James A.D. Cox, who came from England to the U.Va. School of Architecture as a visiting professor from 1961 to 1962, then returned in 1967 to begin an illustrious career as a professor of architecture until his retirement in 1990. In honor of Cox's legacy, a group of friends and former students established the James A.D. Cox Distinguished Lectureship in Architecture, intended to attract prominent scholars and professionals from outside the United States to promote international partnerships and broaden the global scope of the University's learning environment. Fundraising is ongoing in order to endow the lectureship.