Communities around the world that have embraced placemaking have found simple collaborative solutions to perceived risks — Modern cities have plenty of facilities which did not exist in the previous centuries and one of the prime developments is that cities are now better equipped to be safe. But are the cities of today really safer and better as we think? Have planning approaches adopted in the recent…

As adults we often overlook the necessity of playful spaces, but they are vital places for communities to thrive — Cities are designed and centered around certain underlying goals, which along with their needs and aspirations evolve as per the socio-cultural changes of the time. Due to which cities are constantly restructuring their core developmental goals which range from addressing mobility, to business, to education, healthcare etc. …

Placemaking can be understood as a collectively planned design process of nurturing & cultivating a space’s optimum affordances — In his book The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception, James J. Gibson put forth the Theory of Affordances, in which he suggested that “The affordances of the environment are what it offers the animal, what it provides or furnishes, either for good or ill.” According to Gibson, the elements and…

When cities are planned for children, distances to amenities are shortened, making distances more walkable, more bikable and improving overall accessibility. — Given the current state of the world, children seem to be our only hope. And while we hope for better times, we are responsible not only for the lives children are living right now, but also the ones they shall be living in the future. And we owe them more…

Visibility of marginalized communities in public spaces are important steps towards a diverse, dynamic and urbane world — For marginalized populations who exist in the peripheries of our codified cities, public spaces are often places of isolation, anxiety and possible violence. …

Globalization has led to the adoption of living practices that have changed where and how we live, and not necessarily for the benefit of everyone — Individual identities have contexts. Layers of geographies, bodies, languages, cuisines, attires, symbols, beliefs and practices. A lot of who we are, comes from where we are (from). A question that now matters lesser and lesser to many of us, as we live in a world where we are connected to…

Place driven development can instill a sense of belonging, shared ownership and responsibility — When we hear the word placemaking, the first image we get is of someplace in Europe or America. It has been misconstrued by many in developing countries as mere beautification, a luxury that developing nations would be wasteful to spend on. …