In 2006, the India China Institute inaugurated a two-year fellowship program to encourage scholarship on particular subjects relevant to critical issues in the two most populous countries. The theme for the first program was Urbanization and Globalization, for several reasons. The rapid economic development of India and China since the 1980s significantly altered the landscape and context of their cities, making an unprecedented scale of globalization and urbanization, which was challenging not only for those two countries, but also for the world. This first ICI Fellowship Program supported investigation on the effects of this rapid transformation and redevelopment of cities, large-scale migration, and the kinds of governance and policy needed to respond to these changes.

Sixteen participants were selected by a committee of distinguished scholars from universities in India and China, and from The New School. The fellows for the debut cohort were from diverse backgrounds—six from New York, five from India, and five from China. Participants met in groups at three residencies and public conferences, and participated in study trips. The residencies were intensive two-week sessions consisting of roundtable discussions, field visits, a retreat, and an international conference. The fellows drew on these experiences to produce an array of innovative and influential work, and many reach beyond their own institutions to publish and speak internationally. The works of the initial cohort were collected in the ICI publication Parallax Visions, and in an edited volume, Growing Cities in a Shrinking World: The Challenges of Urbanism in India and China, which archived and disseminated the contributions to research, politics, and social development in India and China.