Word Lab

Enabling the articulation of emerging urban knowledge to varied audiences

The Lab edits, proofreads and produces books, reports and institutional knowledge narratives to advance the frontiers of knowledge at IIHS. By engaging with best practices in writing and editing, the Lab creates a supportive environment for practitioners and researchers, helping them reduce the distance between their thoughts and the text.

The Lab anchors the Urbanisation journal, Ecology, Economy and Society–The INSEE Journal, IIHS City Scripts events, public writing, academic writing courses, external workshops and training, and book production.

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Books supported

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Academic publications supported

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Grey literature publications supported

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Op-eds and news articles supported

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Institutional reports and documents

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City Scripts sessions

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Areas of Work

The Lab was established to transform the IIHS, Kengeri Campus into a dynamic testbed for IoT-enabled systems. It explores how connected technologies can reshape Campus operations, improve sustainability, and support new forms of research and learning.

Publication Support

The Lab supports writing across IIHS’ Schools and Programmes, including papers, books, reports, and public writing, ensuring high standards of quality, ethics, and inclusivity. It works closely with project teams to plan, shape, and refine outputs at all stages of the publication process. The Lab edits and manages IIHS reports, policy papers, briefs, case studies, and conference proceedings, making them openly accessible through the IIHS Knowledge Gateway. The Lab also provides researchers with end-to-end editorial support for academic publishing, from structuring and drafting to journal submission and refinement.

Journals

Urbanisation Journal
The Lab runs the editorial office for the Urbanisation journal, working closely with the journal’s Editorial Collective. A peer-reviewed biannual journal anchored at IIHS and published by Sage Publications India, Urbanisation publishes comparative as well as collaborative interdisciplinary scholarship that illuminates the global urban condition, beginning with a firm footprint in the Global South.

The journal is guided by a distinguished team of editors and advisory board members who are among the world’s foremost urban academics and practitioners. It is indexed in databases such as EBSCO, reflecting both a growing influence and broad accessibility.

Ecology, Economy and Society–The INSEE Journal

is an open-access, biannual, peer-reviewed journal published by the Indian Society for Ecological Economics (INSEE), with the editorial office managed by the Lab. The journal is led by prominent scholars in environmental sciences and economics from India and is indexed in multiple databases, including SCOPUS.

Campus Book Series

The Lab leads the production of a book series on the upcoming IIHS, Kengeri Campus, Bengaluru, documenting its evolving approaches to sustainable design and innovation, and biodiversity conservation. The series covers practices across design and construction, water and soil management, waste systems, agro-forestry, biodiversity and urban farming. It captures both processes and outcomes in depth, while also serving as a practical reference for urban practitioners and others seeking to adapt similar systems at scale.

Envisioned as living documents that will evolve along with the materiality and ecology of the Campus, the books will also serve as teaching–learning material.

Developing Writing Resources

The Lab develops writing resources and guidebooks for internal and external audiences, such as the Handbook of Style and Usage
and Usage, an extensive style guide for all writing at IIHS; and the IIHS Rough Writing Guides, a set of guides on different forms of writing, including reports, op-eds, data stories, policy briefs and journals.

The Lab also developed the massive open online course (MOOC), Writing and Disseminating Grey Literature in partnership with the IIHS Digital Blended Learning programme, and hosted on Coursera.

Events

City Scripts

The Lab curates IIHS City Scripts, an annual urban writings festival. This one-of-a-kind festival is dedicated to examining how cities are represented in art and literature, and stands out for its persistent inquiry of urban narratives and experiences. Since its inception in 2016, the festival has reimagined the idea of the city as a ‘text’—building on and bringing together the works of people who reimagine the city.

Years

Participants

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Speakers

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Sessions

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City Scripts Monthly

City Scripts sessions are held monthly to extend engagement with our audiences. These intimate conversations, attended by many, allow us to deepen our interactions with the people of the city and focus on broader urban questions and concerns.

To learn about our upcoming events, visit the City Scripts website

Quick links

People

Projects

Publications

GET IN TOUCH

EMAIL

labs@iihs.ac.in

PHONE

+91 80 6760 6666