Vismay Patel, BA (Hons) Class of 2026, Explores London's Urban Life at King's College Summer School

How do rhythms shape a city's neighbourhoods? How do social interactions and the built environment influence the needs of capital? Vismay Patel, a BA (Hons) student in Social and Political Sciences​​​​​​, deliberated on these questions during an undergraduate summer school at King's College London.

As the sole Indian participant, Vismay joined peers from 11 countries, including the US, Canada, France, Germany, Australia, China, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Zambia, and South Africa. Together, they studied London's evolution and the changing needs of its citizens through the lens of urban sociology and human geography.

The summer programme, titled "London's Cityscapes and London Life," offered Vismay a deeper understanding of numerous topics, such as urban citizenship, gentrification, imperialism, urban ecology, and the intersection of poverty and industrialisation.

The curriculum introduced new research methods, including sensory ethnography, a unique approach to urban studies that involves conducting fieldwork and analysing an area using all five senses. Vismay also learned how walking and photography can serve as effective methods of inquiry.

He put these skills into practice during ethnographic field visits to areas like Soho, Chinatown, Southbank, Westminster, St. James's Park, South Kensington, Hyde Park, and Mayfair.

The programme expanded his critical reflection and research skills, building on the foundational knowledge he gained at Ahmedabad University.

"The knowledge and experience I had gained from research projects within my courses at Ahmedabad University, for example, the ethnographic study of GIFT City (HST101), studying urban flooding in Ahmedabad's slums (RES101), studying the life of Ahmedabad's auto-rickshaw drivers (SPS260), and understanding how access to roads in Ahmedabad is shaped by class (SPS300), truly helped me while participating in class interactions during this summer school," Vismay shared. "It was an experience that significantly helped me develop my academic skills in urban sociology and gain unique experiences too," he concluded.