Future Leaders Programme 16: Designing for Development: How collaboration among architects, urban planners and political economists can inform a rethinking of development strategies
Future Leaders Programme 16
The Development Leadership Dialogue (DLD) at SOAS University of London, co-directed by Ha-Joon Chang, Christopher Cramer, and Jonathan Di John, announces its 16th Future Leaders Programme (FLP) on ‘Designing for Development: How collaboration among architects, urban planners and political economists can inform a rethinking of development strategies’.
- When: November 02-06, 2026
- Where: SOAS, University of London
- Deadline: 31 August 2026
About
About the Future Leaders Programme (FLP)
DLD promotes dialogue and mutual learning between the key actors that drive economic and social development – governments, private firms, civil society organizations, international organizations, trade unions, academia, and others – and that often operate in separate spheres, understanding each other poorly, even seeing each other as adversaries.
The FLP is one of the key programmes of DLD, bringing together a small number of people who will be in leadership positions in the next five to ten years in different sectors of the development community for a workshop of lectures, discussion sessions, and debates, led by speakers with a wealth of senior experience in government, international organizations, and academia.
Designing for Development: How collaboration among architects, urban planners and political economists can inform a rethinking of development strategies
Many of today’s most urgent global challenges, from stagnant growth to climate change and rapid urbanisation require ambitious, innovative policies. Yet economics, regardless of its myriad approaches and prescriptions, has largely shifted away from creative problem-solving toward a narrow technical approach that is often incapable of devising practical solutions to complex, real-world problems. Herbert Simon, the father of behavioural economics, once remarked that: ‘you cannot deduce a good strategy just from theory; alternatives may not be given but must be searched for and imagined.’
The very best architects and urban planners are problem-solvers. They must reconcile competing goals and address complex spatial, material, and financial constraints. Their work is inherently innovative – they envision what does not yet exist. As societies confront accelerating environmental, social and economic change, the role of design itself is being re-examined across disciplines and contexts. While architecture, planning and urban design are increasingly called upon to address complex global challenges, meaningful transformation depends on collaboration across institutions, sectors and cultures, and on recognising that solutions must emerge from the specific realities of place rather than being transferred as universal models.
In our 16th FLP, we bring together architects, planners, designers, economic policymakers, developers and researchers to create a space for critical dialogue with the purpose of enhancing the range of tools and insights for imagining more effective development strategies and designs. Through projects from Africa, Asia and Latin America, it explores how more imaginative design can foster collaboration, strengthen local capacity and contribute to more regenerative, productive, equitable, and resilient futures across urban, peri-urban and rural contexts.
Three main themes will be discussed:
The first theme explores the origins of innovative design and how successful strategies are built, drawing on the works of such architects as Alejandro Aravena, Anapuma Kundoo and Liu Thai Ker. Through examples from housing, healthcare and rural development, it examines how meaningful architectural responses emerge from a close understanding of local social, cultural, environmental and economic conditions. The emphasis is on design as an iterative and collaborative process that works with existing communities, knowledge systems and resource constraints to develop context-responsive solutions. It also considers how designs can contribute to ground-breaking developmental solutions as with the case of Singapore’s public housing; or in the case of Kundoo’s work which challenges the idea of ‘scarcity’ in the face of the abundance of local materials that can underpin radical and inclusive buildings, urban plans and designs.
Building on these case studies, the second theme shifts the discussion from individual interventions to more institutional and governance frameworks that might enable innovation at scale. Through case studies in climate adaptation, metropolitan planning, public transport and urban governance we will examine how partnerships, political leadership, public institutions and long-term planning shape the implementation and replication of successful design approaches. The focus moves from designing projects to designing systems capable of sustaining transformation over time.
The third theme considers the wider political, economic and institutional conditions required for innovation to become the norm rather than the exception. Discussions focus on public procurement and economic competitiveness, exploring how governance structures can incentivise high-quality, context-responsive development at scale.
Throughout the week, participants will have a chance to work in groups to work through design and urban planning problems and scenarios drawn from real world experiences.
In addition to the DLD Co-Directors, confirmed speakers include (in the alphabetical order of their surnames): Julia Backhaus (UCL Bartlett School of Architecture), Jo Beall (LSE Cities), Anupama Kundoo (Technical University of Berlin, Anupama Kundoo Architects), Maria-Mercedes Jaramillo Garcés (former Secretary of Planning for Bogotá, founder of LACPlan, Loeb Fellow, Harvard University), and Tanya Zack (town planner, author of The Chaos Precinct, University of Witwatersrand).
Application process
Applications are welcome from people from different sectors – governments, the corporate sector, civil society, international organizations, trade unions, etc. Applicants should complete the online application form, uploading a CV and a cover letter. Applicants should submit a CV and a covering letter, explaining their work and their view on thinking strategically about issues related to design, urban planning, and/or economic development policymaking
Applicants are normally expected to have at least ten years’ experience in their fields. If they are from academia, they should provide evidence that they have worked with development practitioners – in national governments, international organisations, the private sector, or CSOs. The deadline for application is 31 August, 2026
The fee for the programme is GBP 3,000. Participants are also expected to cover their costs of attending, travel, accommodation, and subsistence in London. However, there are full or partial scholarships available, and applicants who want to be considered for them should explain their financial circumstances and state clearly how much financial support they are seeking in their covering letters. Please note that, even when financial support is given, visa fees will be reimbursed only for the citizens of Least Developed Countries, as defined by the United Nations.
Header image credit: Mohit Kumar via Unsplash.
