NAGARI 2025 aims to capture the essence of public spaces in Indian cities. Public space is defined as places that are open and accessible to everyone – this usually includes maidans, gardens, waterfronts, etc. The Indian city often broadens this definition of public space, due to its high density, to include streets, footpaths, markets, alleyways, transport infrastructure, among others. Thus our public spaces are layered by use, scale and activity, varying across days, seasons, groups, and movements. This is the public realm. It is “where a city’s culture is expressed most freely and openly, and it is where the city is at its most democratic, honest, and energetic” (Martin, 2017).
Keeping public space as the central focus, Nagari will examine the complex interactions between people from different castes, classes, age, and gender, as well as address an important question – What are the layers that constitute the public realm in urban India?
Applications for Nagari 2025 are now closed!
Public Realm in Urban India
Click on the image above to learn more about the final films
Mentors
Resource Experts
THE PUBLIC REALM IN HERITAGE PRECINCT
Whether privately or publicly owned, spaces tied to heritage hold public significance. Fontainhas becomes a unique case where boundaries between private and public are blurred due to various spatial and social factors.
UNSPOKEN AGREEMENTS
In this blog, we explore the quiet accommodations we actively make for each other, out on the Indian street, battling for space.
CITIES & IDEOLOGIES
Cities are often perceived as consequences of planning, geography and economy. We perpetually criticise our cities, in search of more inclusive spaces but rarely do we acknowledge the powerful role of ‘political ideologies’ in shaping them.