Astrid Ley is chair of International Urbanism and course director of the international master program MSc Integrated Urbanism and Sustainable Design (IUSD) at the University of Stuttgart. She also works as an urban development consultant to bilateral and international development agencies (oikos human settlement research group). She holds a degree in architecture and urban design from RWTH Aachen and a PhD from TU Berlin. Her expertise and publication record include topics related to urbanization in the Global South, housing processes, the role of local governance, participation, co-production, and civil society. Ashiq Ur Rahman (MD), is a professor of Urban and Rural Planning Discipline of Khulna University, Bangladesh. He is highly invested in the field of pro-poor housing initiatives in Bangladesh and other developing countries. He gained his MSc in the Urban Development Planning programme at University College London and was awarded with a PhD in Urban Studies from Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. His research interest and career motivation lie in pro-poor urban development initiatives. He believes that individuals have their own capabilities and combining those capabilities towards democratic development is essential. Josefine Fokdal works as a researcher and lecturer at the department of International Urbanism at the University of Stuttgart. After completing her degree in architecture and international urbanism from TU Berlin, and a master's from Ball State University (USA), Josefine obtained her PhD in 2014 from TU Berlin. Her research and writings span the fields of spatial theory, housing, governance, co-production and rapid urbanization with a geographical focus on Asia.