DirtyHands

Economic development in Chicago and Mumbai (Spring 2008)

Abstract

Global design teams address economic development in urban neighborhoods in the Chicago and Bombay.

Overview

This project centered on a collaboration sponsored by Honeywell Technology Solutions (Bangalore) between Design students from the Indian Institute of Technology (Mumbai) and the Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago), who worked together on a global design project focused on economic development. A Human-Centred Design process was
used to develop and prototype products, services and business models based on an understanding of the needs of small business owners in two neighborhoods - Pilsen/Little Village in Chicago and Powai in Mumbai.

The project began with IIT Chicago students doing research in the Mexican neighborhoods of Pilsen and Little Village, while IIT Mumbai students did research in a slum area in Powai adjacent to the university. Students then exchanged research, with the result that Indian students ultimately designed products for four small businesses in Mexican neighborhoods of Chicago, and Chicago students created designs targeted at small businesses in the Powai slum.

Benefits

Record-keeping and Credit Management Systems for Kirana Stores in Powai
New paper ledgers and record-keeping applications for mobile phones
address preponderance of credit-based transactions, unclear payback
details and shop owner?s monopoly of the main register in stores.
Antonio Quinones, Nai-Hwa Chiang, Preethi Lakshminarayanan, Swapnil Jadhav

Empowering Women Through Existing Social Networks in Powai
A self-sustaining business model for a Balwadi that integrates a
non-for-profit community service provider, a for-profit entity and an
educational incubator around the core values of creating social and
economic value for the Powai slum community.
Gauri Verma, Valerie Campbell, Edwin Steinmetz , Vishwesh Kelkar

Efficient Scrap Collection Systems for Powai Slums
A scrap collection system that offers increased efficiency and
profitability to Powai scrap collectors by facilitating networking,
scrap processing, price transparency and the introduction of incentives.
Vasile Bora, Dan Folwaczny, Kyungsun Kim, Shilpa Rao, Amy Sprague

Empowering Self-employed Women in Powai through Social Networking
A Kitty-Cooperative model for women?s groups in the Powai slum
designed make NGOs more effective in addressing the needs of their
constituents in the areas of health, education and financial
independence.
Bhumi Gajjar, Soham Patel, Anshul Maheshwari