Street Corner by Sudhir Patwardhan

Mumbai as a city is expanding with public spaces diminishing. Studies indicate that 2 hectares of quality open space per 1000 residents in dense urban settings is an acceptable benchmark. Mumbai has a severe dearth of parks and playgrounds to cater for it’s rapidly increasing population. The quality of public realm in our cities is essential if we are to make our cities livable and working environments suitable.

A quick assessment of current open spaces indicate that existing parks or maidans (playgrounds) are over-utilized. In addition, a lack of accessible community sports facilities means that parks originally designed for passive recreation now have to cater for active recreational usage. As a result available open public spaces have been degraded and the role of footpaths have been transformed.

Read the full article here: Redefining the Public Realm in Mumbai