Strengthening International Partnerships through Field Research
Policy dialogue with the Mayor of Lalitpur, Mr Chiri Babu Maharjan and Chief Administrative Officer, Ms Rekha Das Shrestha
The University Â鶹¾«Ñ¡ has furthered its collaboration with Kathmandu University (KU), Nepal’s premier private higher education institution, through an enriching field trip involving MSc students from the Dubai campus. This initiative brought together students from the MSc in Urban Planning programme and KU’s School of Management (KUSOM) to engage in collaborative research on the planning, design, and governance of public spaces in Lalitpur, Nepal’s second-largest city, located in the Kathmandu Valley.
The Kathmandu Valley is renowned for its ancient and intricate community-based urban governance system, particularly the guthi system, which oversees the management of temple squares, ponds, and other public spaces. This system provides invaluable lessons for urban planners worldwide. During the field trip, students delved into contemporary urban challenges such as traffic and water management, earthquake-resilient reconstruction, and heritage conservation within the historic core, a World Heritage Site. They also examined the social and psychological dimensions of urban spaces, exploring how social sustainability, sense of place, and place attachment influence public life and community identity. These insights are particularly significant in Lalitpur, where public spaces serve as cultural and emotional anchors for diverse communities.
The joint research project involved students from diverse professional backgrounds, fostering an outstanding opportunity for the cross-fertilisation of knowledge. A highlight of the programme was a session with the Mayor of Lalitpur Metropolitan City, Chiri Babu Maharjan. During this session, MSc students presented their research projects and engaged in discussions about urban planning policies and approaches. The dialogue provided valuable insights into how the municipality addresses complex urban challenges, including the reconstruction of ancient rest places, pond restoration, and traffic management within the old city. This paves the way for future collaboration opportunities with both Kathmandu University and the municipality.
Through our collaborative field programme with Kathmandu University, we have demonstrated that student field trips can go beyond just research training and can extend to a much broader cross-fertilisation of knowledge amongst the future generation of urban planners and policy makers.
A collaboration between KUSOM and the University Â鶹¾«Ñ¡/Dubai Campus opened a new avenue for cross-cultural learning about public spaces.
For our urban planning students, field trips like this one in Kathmandu are not just educational, they are transformational. Immersing themselves in the rich cultural fabric, inclusive practices, and spatial diversity of cities like Kathmandu and Lalitpur allows future planners to see beyond technical solutions. It teaches them how deeply culture, ethnicity, religion, and everyday life shape urban form. These experiences are essential in shaping more empathetic, responsive, and globally minded urban designers and planners of the future.
This collaborative field trip exemplifies the University Â鶹¾«Ñ¡â€™s commitment to fostering international partnerships and providing transformative educational experiences. By engaging with real-world urban challenges and diverse cultural contexts, MSc Urban Planning students are equipped to become innovative and globally-minded urban planners and policy makers.
Senior Lecturer in Human Geography
Staff profile for Dr Fraser Sugden, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography in the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University Â鶹¾«Ñ¡.
Associate Professor of Sustainable Urban Design and Planning
Dr Mohammad Radfar is an Associate Professor of Sustainable Urban Design and Planning, in the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
