Discovering public-places in the people – streets of New Delhi

Abstract

Urban public spaces, in particular streets have been recognized as a major ordering element in the physical structure of the city. Spiro Kostoff goes as far as saying that without the street as a public space there is no city. Indeed it may be stated on the basis of research that links good streets to good cities that a city is only as good as its streets. What then is a good street? And how important is the street in evaluating quality of life in a city? This paper looks at some typical scenarios on streets in the capital city of New Delhi with the express intention of show casing the all-important though not always visually impressive informal people-places in public spaces. The paper also looks at the margin areas between planned and un-planned Delhi as potential people-places. Through informal market places and life on the streets on the margins it will be attempted to establish that public places are vital as necessary interfaces between the haves and the have-nots and thus that vibrant streets/ public places are essential to healthy cities. The informal and temporary character of street happenings gives the street a dynamism that is almost tangible in its celebration of the citizen. The here-today-gone-tomorrow property of street-plays, market places, chance encounters etc give the street or any place for casual public activity a constantly changing form and provides, it is felt, the opportunity for sensitivities to develop that address the feeling of belonging and ownership so essential for good democratic governance of urban centres.