14 - Marvi Mazhar - Taking Ownership of Our Cities and Getting Things Done

Marvi Mazhar is a Karachi-based architect, urban planner, and heritage consultant. She is the principal architect at her independent architecture and design studio, Marvi Mazhar & Associates; has served as the director of Peace Niche/T2F; is the co-founder of the Architectural Design Research Lab at the Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture; is the founder of the Pakistan Chowk Community Center; and was the Project Manager for the National History Museum in Lahore.  Marvi sat down with us and discussed how she became an architect, and was eventually inspired to get involved in the heritage side of things. She tells us the story of Pakistan Chowk, her efforts to conserve Karachi's Banyan Trees, and the importance of heritage to cities. Marvi also talks about her most recent project, The Public Research Lab. They're compiling research about Karachi, and making it available for free to everyone in the hopes of helping however they can. Most importantly she reminds us to take ownership of our city, and to trust the government.