This is my space!

Infectious. Vibrant. Warm. Glittering. Entrancing. Remind you of Mumbai? Jostled in the train. Almost got hit by a bike while walking on the footpath. Peak hour traffic. Overcrowded, congested. Still thinking of Mumbai? Public spaces in Mumbai have increasingly shrunk, reducing access to open viable public spaces for Mumbaikars. “Open spaces in Mumbai are often either inaccessible, offer only partial access or have been encroached upon,” Ashutosh Limaye, head of research and real estate intelligence service at Jones Lang LaSalle was quoted stating in the New York Times. But in a remarkable effort, organisations, businesses and communities have rallied to create and maintain newer forms of public spaces in the city. Mumbai city has witnessed immense growth in what can only be termed as a movement to reclaim and recreate public spaces. Public spaces have come up in the form of setting up of community centers, reclaiming traditionally closed off and congested spaces, community marketplaces etc. Spaces are transformed to become hubs of cultural activities and entertainment, drawing together participation from Mumbaikars across the city. What does this transformation mean for our city and its people?

A lot of this transformation started slowly a few years ago, with the advent of marathons, midnight cycling rides, street flea markets and so on. In the past two to three years, this effort has been taking on a stronger force. There is in general, a larger call for more open, viable, public spaces.

The Hive, The Lil Flea and what happens at Ballard Estate
The beginning of January 2014 saw the opening of a new cultural hub in Bandra: The Hive, which calls itself a creator and maker of space. Started off as a venture to create a new open space in the city, it has evolved and become a major center for events and activities, favored by the young and the old crowd. It hosts events across genres, from movie screening, discussions, to community festivals. Regular attendees of events at The Hive love the inviting vibe that the place carries and how it has managed to seamlessly create a niche space as a center for interaction in a crowded city like Mumbai. While The Hive is a structural community center, another such platform for interaction has emerged in The Lil Flea, which pops up periodically in popular locations in the city to cater to people who want something different in the spaces they explore.

Alankar Jain, Co-Founder of The Little Flea tells us that the idea for curating such an event was in part inspired from the lack of a space for creative integration in a cosmopolitan city like Mumbai. The number of attendees has also shot up from 12,000 at their first Flea in April 2014, to 30,000 in the most recent one, showing how wonderfully the city is embracing such change. Antika, originally from another city, attended The Lil Flea in Mumbai recently. She tells us how the event helped her explore a new space in the city, a space to get together and create and connect with like-minded people over music and workshops.

While events like The Lil Flea and centers like The Hive create new public spaces, a growing trend is seen in reclaiming public spaces. What started off several years ago with the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is now spilling over to newer events.

Started in January 2016, Mumbai’s Ballard Estate Festival aims to provide the ‘leisure starved island city’ Mumbai, with an open venue for entertainment at the Ballard Estate. It has turned the Ballard Estate into something resembling a ‘Special Entertainment Zone’ over the weekends. It provides a one-stop destination for street food, games, music and an opportunity to interact with fellow Mumbaikars. It’s a fun vibrant festival that has reclaimed a public space thought lost to the general public. It transforms it into an open inviting space that caters to the need felt in Mumbai for more open, viable public space.

When streets are equal
Another such movement repeating itself this year after its success in 2015 is that of ‘Equal Streets’. While in the past year a 6.5 km stretch of road was declared as car free under Equal Streets on Sunday mornings to create access to open spaces for Mumbaikars, this year it’s restricted to 2.2 km. Rishu Jain, Co-Founder of Equal Streets and member of Juhu & Lokhandwala Cycling Club, speaks of how the idea originates from when Renuka Tahiliani, presently a promoter of Equal Streets in association with the Khar-Bandra-Santacruz (KBS) Foundation, organised two car-free day events at Carter road. Rishu says that the response from people has been fantastic. Last year, Equal Streets had more than 50,000 people participating on each Sunday! 20% of Mumbai consists of roads and to start a movement to tap into the biggest open space that our city has, to reclaim and recreate it, is commendable. Attending an Equal Streets event is being part of a different kind of Mumbai, one that is open and congestion free. It gives you a glimpse of a more open city, with more space for activity, activism, community engagement and development. What distinguishes it from other events mentioned is that it is non-commercial: Equal Streets charges no entry fees.

These events and activities are reimagining how we look at public spaces in the city. It is creating an invigorating and exciting atmosphere aimed at more openness and more choices for the residents of Mumbai. Similarly, several other cities in India have taken up such initiatives. Embarq India, a major player behind Equal Streets in Mumbai launched a similar movement in Gurgaon. It resulted in permanent infrastructure being built, including cycle lanes and walking tracks. An 11- km stretch of road becomes accessible open space for over 30,000 residents each Sunday here! Bangalore too has followed a similar trend. ‘The Cycle Day’ organised by the Bengaluru Coalition for Open Streets (BCOS) to be held on the last Sunday of each month, was started here in 2013. This citizens’ movement is another one of the several claims being made across India to reclaim public space.

Residents of these cities have actively participated in events and activities to further the cause for better and more available public spaces. The strong support generated indicates a collective want for these spaces. Government future plans are also increasingly taking into account these demands as citizen groups emerge as strong pressure groups. Such public spaces lend beauty and soul to the city; it connects people and communities and builds connection between people and the city. These spaces act as places to relax, to network, to build new relationships and nurture old ones. These public spaces help facilitate better quality of life for the residents of a city. So head out to one of these public spaces this weekend or reclaim one!

---