Open Spaces - Question of Cities

How festival celebrations define, and redefine, public spaces

Diwali celebrations are a public affair, so are celebrations of other festivals across communities. The festivalisation of public spaces -- streets, squares, markets, footpaths – is welcome and binds people in cities but it also lends these spaces political colours…

Minnesota park: An example of building public spaces for diverse communities

Phalen Park in St. Paul, Minnesota, is a model for inclusiveness and social interaction among diverse urban communities, adding to the city’s…

Saving Rani Bagh with women’s power and collaborative campaigns

Women from diverse backgrounds joined hands to save one of Mumbai’s oldest green spaces and botanical garden, Rani Bagh, from construction. Their…

For better cities, map and integrate all open spaces into urban planning

Gardens, promenades, boardwalks, wetlands, salt pans, beaches, promenades, green connectors amid a city’s concrete, are vital open spaces which make it more…

Mahalaxmi Racecourse: A public open expanse, threatened by a theme park

One of Mumbai’s largest and most recognisable open spaces, the Mahalaxmi Racecourse, attracts hundreds of joggers, walkers, sportspersons, and yoga enthusiasts among…

Social well-being through open space planning: The Navi Mumbai case study

The new city on a vast greenfield area across the Mumbai harbour was planned in the 1960-70s to decongest the increasingly-dense Mumbai.…

How open spaces impact the ecological health of cities

When urban development, largely understood to mean construction, gathers pace to accommodate more people and commerce, one of the first casualties is…

Central Vista redevelopment could rob Delhi of its iconic public space – and shrink democracy

The once sprawling lawns, wide pathways and iconic buildings at Rajpath in New Delhi are being erased by the Rs 13,450-crore Central Vista redevelopment project which began in 2019. The India Gate and the Rajpath area, the largest public space…

The rural in the urban: Warli women of Mumbai’s National Park

The women of the Warli tribe living in the protected forest, the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai, are a unique lot…

If Aarey shrinks, Mumbai will gasp for breath

Aarey Colony, also called Aarey Forest, at the northern end of the city has long functioned as its lungs, providing the city…