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EDITOR’S NOTE
Vinayak Bharne
Executive Editor
A practicing urban designer, city planner and an architect by training, Vinayak has designed numerous award-
winning projects – from satellite cities and campuses, to housing and urban policy – in the United States, Asia and
Central America. He is a professor of urbanism at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles and
the editor/author of five books and more than 50 articles on various subjects of architecture and urban design.
A rt is everywhere in the city. What more
is a city than an enormous art canvas, a
four-dimensional artistic creation evoking
numerous sensory experiences in time and space?
We are perpetually surrounded by art: from
murals, commercial signage and political banners,
to street musicians, urban sculptures and iconic
architecture. From a temple silhouette in the
twilight sky, to skyscrapers framing a full moon;
from the spectacle of a flowering boulevard, to the
textures and colours of a picturesque countryside,
we all share the privilege of an artistic relationship
with the city.
Little wonder then that the urban landscape
has, throughout human history, captured the
attention of the most gifted artistic minds. One
thinks of the meticulous 11th century, five-metre
long painting, Qingming Shanghe Tu, depicting daily
life in Song Dynasty China. Or Italian architect
Giambattista Nolli’s 1748 plan of Rome that
abstracts the city as a fluid white continuum of
exterior and interior public space defined by gray
and black solids. Or the woodcut prints of Utagawa
Hiroshige, titled Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido
(1832), capturing urban scenes along the road
connecting Tokyo and Kyoto. Or the sequential
sketches of British urbanist Gordon Cullen that
became part of his seminal 1961 book Townscape.
Of course, there are myriad other art mediums
through which we explore the urban. Charles
Dickens’ (1812-1870) long walks through the
streets of Victorian London inspired his literary
descriptions of the sights, sounds and smells of
the old city. Hope Mirrlees’ Paris: A Poem (1919),
narrates her daylong stroll from metro tunnels
and city streets to gardens and museums. Charlie
Chaplin’s 1931 film City Lights explores themes
of migration, homelessness and the search for a
place in the urban milieu. And Ridley Scott’s 1982
science-fiction noir, Blade Runner, is unthinkable
without its backdrop of a dreary, dark Los Angeles,
lost to industrial blight.
The city brings out the artist within us all. On
the one hand, graffiti – a form of rebellious artistic
expression created without permission – is seen
by civic authorities as a form of vandalism. On the
Also follow us on www.myliveablecity.com
05-Editor-23.indd 5
Write to me at
vinayak@myliveablecity.com
other, populist artistic creations during religious
events are testimony to the city’s unspoken
tolerance and order. In Goa, India, where I
was raised, hundreds of effigies of the demon
The most
profound
relationship
Narkasura are created by citizens during the Diwali art shares
festival, erected throughout the city with no official
permits or procedures and eventually burnt down
with the city
at dawn. As an appropriated canvas for personal is through its
and communal expression, the city belongs to us transformative
because we choose to own it. potential to
As such, the most profound relationship art
shares with the city is through its transformative reinforce civic
potential to reinforce civic pride and catalyse pride and
positive socio-cultural change: Like the 1990s catalyse positive
Farois de Saber initiative in Brazil, where 50 socio-cultural
colourful lighthouse-shaped towers marked
educational facilities that have transformed change
Curitiba’s less-privileged neighbourhoods. Or the
2017 Ouzville art project that has brought smiles
on the faces of slum dwellers in Lebanon. Urban
art, as both product and process, can strengthen
communal bonds and bridge economic gaps.
It can reinforce inclusiveness and cultural
identity. It can raise awareness and inspire
action on pressing issues such environmental
degradation and climate change. It can move
from strictly aesthetic and sensory pursuits into
urban advocacy and activism, instigating deeper
reflections on our urban future.
The essays in this issue reflect on the
multifaceted confluences of art and the city.
Collectively, they affirm that amidst the mundane
habituations of our daily lives, it is our artistic
engagement with cities that validates our
uniqueness and celebrates our individuality as
urbanites. Art reveals how we relate to our built
world on our own terms, irrespective of our class,
creed or age. The other day, I found a sketch
by my ten-year-old daughter. While the doting
parent in me was drawn to praise it at face value,
the urbanist within felt compelled to analyse
it. Momentarily, it became clear why. It was an
impression of Venice, a city my daughter is eager
to visit. But it was ‘her’ Venice, not mine, and not
anyone else’s. Nothing can change that. That’s
what makes it art.
Cities We Like @CitiesWeLike
Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 05
03/10/19 2:43 PM
 CONTRIBUTORS

Oriana Fernandez
is an architect and
urban designer based
INDIA + THE NETHERLANDS + USA in India, with Master’s
degrees from CEPT
Founders University, Ahmedabad,
Shyam Khandekar and the University of
Shashikala Venkatraman Westminster, London.
She was awarded the
Publisher Surya Srinivas COA-NIASA National
Shashikala Venkatraman Boddu is an Architect Award for Excellence in
Editorial Director & Urban Designer with 5 Post-Graduate Thesis in
Shyam Khandekar years of comprehensive Architecture in 2015. She
professional experience in has studied, worked and
Editor the field of Architecture, travelled for a decade
Meera Joshi Urban Design, Planning across India and Europe.
and Urban Conservation
Executive Editor across various cities and
Vinayak Bharne
towns of India and in Paris.
Assistant Editor He is currently working at
Amrita Kulkarni AECOM Delhi, where he
has been involved in large
Edit-India scale public sector master
Sailesh Ghelani (Content & Social Media) planning and retrofitting
Yamini Kumar, Bengaluru projects as part of the
Ashim Manna, Delhi
Pritha Sardessai, Panaji smart cities initiative with
Karna Sengupta, Bhopal a focus on place making, Ananta Ganjoo
community participation, has a background in
Edit-International people centric design and Architecture and Urban
Laura Amaya, Colombia emphasis on public realm. Design with experience
Amit Arya, USA
Chongxian Chen, China across different
Bruce Echberg, Australia geographies. She has
Prajakta Gawde, Spain been involved in design
Paola Huijding, Brazil of various large scale and
Marina Khrustaleva, Russia multi-layered urban design
Chetan Kulkarni, USA projects and is currently
Hélène Leriche, France
Shreya Malu, USA working at National
Buvana Murali, USA Institute of Urban Affairs
Menaka Sahai, England in Delhi, where she is
Zoya Sodhi, Canada engaged in urban policy
Levi Wichgers, The Netherlands research, spatial planning
Yu Xia, China and strategy formulation
Parya Pasha Zadeh, Iran Vincenzo Centinaro
is a design strategist for different tier I and tier
Columnists with a background in II cities in India.
Sachin Agshikar, India product design, visual
communication and
Cover Art Courtesy design research at
Sachin Agshikar
Gensler, Chicago. He
Art combines qualitative
Seema Taneja and quantitative design
methods to analyse,
Marketing Team de-code and translate
Mitali Choudhary (Manager, Brand Development user insights into
& Customer Service) tangible solutions, design
Marketing Queries
directions and business John G. Jung is
Ad Sales: advertising.myliveablecity@gmail.com opportunities. He holds Chairman and Co-Founder
Subscriptions: a dual Master’s degree in of ICF, recognised as
subscriptions.myliveablecity@gmail.com Product Service System originating the Intelligent
Mob: +919820126505 Design from Politecnico Community concept and
My Liveable City takes no responsibility for unsolicited photographs di Milano and Tongji continues to serve as the
or material. All maps and photographs, unless otherwise indicated, University of Shanghai. Forum’s leading visionary.
are used for illustrative purposes only.
RNI No.MAHENG/2014/58295. Printed & Published by
Shashikala Venkatraman (shashi@myliveablecity.com)
for the Owner Ironman Media & Advisory Services Pvt Ltd. Published
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Editor: Meera Joshi (meera.myliveablecity@gmail.com)
All rights reserved worldwide. Reproducing in any manner without
prior written permission is prohibited.
ISSUE DATE Oct-Dec 2019, ISSUE NUMBER: Vol: 6, Issue 3
For editorial queries, email: shyam@myliveablecity.com

06 | MY LIVEABLE CITY • Oct-Dec 2019

6-7 contributors-23.indd 6 02/10/19 2:07 PM

 Poonam Verma Kapil B. Sinai
Mascarenhas is Surlakar, an Architect
an architect, building and Architectural Lighting
conservation professional, Designer, is the Founder
researcher and writer. of the internationally
Founder-director of the recognised, award winning
Goa-based award winning Lighting Design Practice
studio Archinova Environs, Light@Work Design
she has three decades of Consultants Pvt. Ltd,
Samantha Joi Harris, experience. Located in Goa and Pune,
James Rojas is an India. With over 15 years Jane Tsong is an
ASLA, PLA, LEED AP is urban planner, community
the Director of Culture of work experience, he ecological designer and
activist and artist who is a strong proponent of artist based in Los Angeles.
Horticulture, a lab for has developed Place It!,
artists, gardeners and professional ethics. His She contributed an
an innovative community practice has the tag line – artwork to the Brightwater
other urban biophiliacs engagement practice for
whose work explores the ‘Ethical Design Excellence’. Wastewater Treatment
visual and spatial thinkers plant in Seattle, which
intertwined experience that uses storytelling,
at the intersection of blesses all the three
objects, art-production and elements treated by the
Culture (community/art/ play to help communities
society/economics) and plant (air, water and
Tapas Mitra is an find common ground and biosolids) as part of the
Horticulture (plants/ architect, academic their voice through sensory
ecological/environmental/ treatment train. Currently,
and urbanist. He heads experiences, memories, she works on land
natural) issues. She is the department of needs and aspirations.
currently investigating acquisition and watershed
Urban Design at the He has facilitated planning projects at
multi-sensory aspects of School of Planning and over 1,000 workshops
place in the City of Los Watershed Conservation
Architecture, Bhopal. and 200+ interactive
Angeles and teaching Authority.
models. Many of his
Landscape Architecture at clients are underserved Dhiru A. Thadani is
Cal Poly Pomona. and disadvantaged an architect and urbanist.
communities: women, He has worked to
youth, men of colour, non- disseminate principles and
native English speakers techniques of traditional
and LGBTQ members. town planning in all five
continents, by sharing
research, lecturing,
mentorship and working
on projects. He has been
principal designer of Gayathree Singhal
Nathan Ritter is a new towns and cities,
design researcher with a Vinod is a graduate
urban regeneration, student at the USC
background in product
engineering. He has been neighbourhood School of Architecture,
Shyam Khandekar revitalisation, academic
is an architect, urban a consultant to leading pursuing her Masters
organisations in consumer campuses and infill in Architecture, with an
designer and planner products, apparel, finance densification projects. He
by training. Shyam has undergraduate degree
and healthcare for their has authored several in Architecture from
nearly four decades of innovation and design publications and books.
professional experience Pritha Sardessai was Chennai, India. Being a
strategy. born and brought up in sensitive and passionate
designing several prize-
winning projects in Goa and graduated as an designer, she is motivated
Europe and India. He has architect from the Goa and driven by the quest
lectured and published College of Architecture. for positive change
extensively on different Besides running an making and enhancing
aspects of Liveable architectural practice, she urban environments.
Cities at universities and is passionate about her Besides building design,
conferences across the city Panaji and conducts studying and mapping
world. heritage walks on request cities and urban form is
through her programme something that excites
Cholta Cholta. and intrigues her.

Amrita Kulkarni is a writer, design researcher and

strategist with work experience across Asia, Europe,
Saylee Soundalgekar is an architect and holds a Masters degree in landscape
Africa and North America. Her work associations include
architecture from Mumbai University. Her interest and
Coca Cola, Ford, Hager, Abbott, FedEx and Godrej,
understanding lies in ‘Narratives in Landscapes’ she is
collaborating with clients for
presently working for Newarch Landscapes as a design
disruptive innovation. She
writer and content developer. Passionate towards research
is based in Chicago, United
and writing, Saylee has published works with Landscape
States, and holds a M.A.+M.Sc.
Architecture Journal, Indian Architect & Builder magazine, The
from Royal College of Art and
People Place Project and Better Interiors to name a few. She has
Imperial College, London.
been associated with an economically backward school for
teaching music and has formal training in Bharatnatyam.

Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 07

6-7 contributors-23.indd 7 03/10/19 2:12 PM

 Contents
Vol: 6, Issue: 3, Oct-Dec 2019 / ISSN 2455-2380

City Lights The Joy Of Cities

A fast-paced glimpse Designing, planning and developing cities in the context of their past, present and future
at the vitality of cities

10
Product Design
The interconnectedness of
art and design

Sculptures in Urban Design

18 Digital Street Art
22
More art is magical Billboards and beyond

14
Service Design
Art can show us the way 26

Drawn to Travel Art in Cinema

32
To draw a city is to know it The cities in our movies

16
Design Process
The art of finding the right
problem to solve

35 39
Photo Essay
Streets as places of expression
Lighting in the City
Brightening city life 42 San Francisco
Understanding the
morphology of this city

08 | MY LIVEABLE CITY • Oct-Dec 2019

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 www.myliveablecity.com Cities We Like @CitiesWeLike

Urban Blueprint
A series of case studies that capture the transformational qualities of well-designed cities

45
Public Participation
50Transforming Through Art
55
Mumbai
Re-envisioning the city with art World class art festivals in Goa Display art by local vendors

58 64

Alembic City Conserving Indian cities Smelltopia

69 Montepellier
74
Redeveloping through art Old and new must co-exist Smells of a city Public spaces as artistic places
and culture of activity

Change Agents Provocateur Culture Corner

Meeting up with city lovers A hard-nosed look Visual wonders from across the world
and organisations who are at what makes cities
making a difference liveable or unliveable!

84 87
Interview
James Rojas 79 Red Lab Urban Delight
From mundane to magnificent City as a canvas

Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 09

8-9Contents-23.indd 9 02/10/19 2:12 PM

 CITY LIGHTS>Product Design
Art, Design and Storytelling
Uncovering the interconnectedness of art, design and narratives, Vincenzo Centinaro
showcases products that traverse all three realms in urban environments today
I first visited Florence in 2014. Having
studied its history, its churches, ‘piazze’,
museums and art in school, I did not expect
to be shocked by its rich and breathtaking
beauty in person. Being immersed in the city
made me realise that it was a museum under
the sky: democratic and inclusive. Florence
is a city that successfully brings together the
fearlessness of art, the beauty of design and
the emotion of storytelling into a physical
reality. It seems impossible to separate one
from another and my mind pondered the
intertwined relationship between art, design
and storytelling.
When does design become art? What
happens to either in the absence of storytelling?
Which comes first? As Neri Oxman, American-
Israeli professor at the MIT Media Lab
highlights in her article ‘Age of Entanglement’,
art produces new perceptions of the world,
thereby granting access to new information in
and about it; engineering produces utility that
is leveraged by designers, who in turn produce
behavioural changes perceived by the artists.
In this interdependent construct,
storytelling stands out as the singular tying
force. If the objects we are surrounded by don’t
tell a story about the place, emotion, memory or
moment, why would any of it matter? Design –
including that of products – is the result of these
intertwined domains expressing themselves
in a singular object. Design without art and
narratives would be incomplete and much too
reductive; we wouldn’t be able to craft emotional
connections that make us think differently.
Take for example, Raubdruckerin, which
uses urban structures – manhole covers, grids,
technical objects and other surfaces of the
urban landscape – to capture a unique story of
a place. Designers at this Berlin-based studio
transfer unique graphical patterns found in the
10 | MY LIVEABLE CITY • Oct-Dec 2019
10-13Products Design-23.indd 10
urban realm onto clothes, bags and paper. Every
piece is hand printed, mainly on-site in the public
space, as a footprint of the city. Why would this
printed object matter, if not for the memory
In this
interdependent
construct,
of the moment and a tale shared upon return storytelling
from travels? This is an extraordinary example stands out as
of art producing something new yet functional,
describing unique moments in a place. the singular
Imagine an old object in a new form tying force
describing the story of its past. Chinese studio
Bentu Design highlights the amount of waste
produced by the ceramics industry with its
Wreck project. The collection includes side
tables, lamp shades and benches, made from a
mix of ceramic shards and concrete. Rather than
crush the ceramic completely, the shards are
visible on the surface of the final products. In
this way, the final ‘artwork’ doesn’t hide its past
but honestly celebrates its uniqueness and story.
Taking this thinking to the next level is
interior designer Linda Bergroth, creating
an immersive dining experience for New
York’s design week. In her ‘Zero Waste Bistro’
installation, her team designed a space with
walls of recycled tetra paks, where original text
and barcodes from reused food cartons are still
visible. Customers are served in recycled and
recyclable dinnerware with a menu that boasts
of utilising often-ignored local ingredients. The
result expands our experience of art, design and
storytelling to a spatial scale.
These examples show that creativity –
whether in the realm of art or design – doesn’t
necessarily lie in creating something entirely
new. It can be about reshaping and remixing an
existing object, thereby elevating its function
to create a new form of expression. While art
can be a pure form of expression, galvanising
new behaviours through art transforms it into
design. And without storytelling, we may never
hear of this extraordinary ingenuity.
02/10/19 2:16 PM
 Raubdruckerin

1
Emma-France Raff>2006>Alentejo, Portugal

The main focus is to explore the surfaces of cities,
searching for overlooked, seemingly insignificant
details on the pavement, which turn out to be true
urban design pieces. They reveal unobserved parts of
cities that are full of history, diversity and creativity.
The fact that the textile printing is taking
place outside, in the public space, creates
situations that would never happen in
conventional textile printing and manufacturing.
It allows passengers to become viewers, observing
the process as it evolves. Raubdruckerin is based
in Berlin, but works regularly in other metropoles
like Amsterdam, Lisbon and Paris.
Additional info: https://raubdruckerin.de
The pieces are printed on-site, at
the original location of the chosen
manhole cover or similar object.

TEXT AND IMAGES CREDIT: RAUBDRUCKERIN

Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 11

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 CITY LIGHTS>Product Design

TEXT AND PHOTO CREDIT: BENTU

2
Wreck
BENTU Design>2019>Chaozhou, China
The traditional concept of ceramic recycling
only means to smash the waste and put it back
into the raw materials for porcelain production.
Limited by the viscosity that pottery clay
requires, the porcelain waste powder that can Chaozhou supplies 70% of the total
be utilised is not much.
In the Wreck Experiment, BENTU managed
daily-use ceramic commodity for the
to carry out a different attempt: change the way world, becoming the world’s largest
of placing porcelain aggregate so as to improve daily-use ceramics production base.
the utilisation of porcelain waste and production
speed and develop the possibility of assembled
furniture with both artistic and practicable
features.
Additional info: http://www.bentudesign.com

12 | MY LIVEABLE CITY • Oct-Dec 2019

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 Zero Waste Bistro

3
Linda Bergroth>2018>New York City, USA
Zero Waste Bistro, a pop-up restaurant
commissioned by the Finnish Cultural Institute
in New York, was presented at WantedDesign
Manhattan during NYCxDesign. It was built
around themes of circular economy, new material
innovations and sustainable design.
The space features Alvar Aalto’s classic Artek
stools and Hand Grenade pendants, built entirely
of recycled and recyclable materials, using
sustainable design pieces. The Durat composite
is made of 30% post-industrial materials and
natural pigments and is 100% recyclable.
Additional info: http://fciny.org/projects/zero-waste-
bistro

PHOTO CREDIT: NICHOLAS CALCOTT

The space was

introduced in
Metropolis
magazine as
‘hauntingly
beautiful’.
Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 13

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 CITY LIGHTS>Service Design

Art Can Show the Way

Nathan Ritter reflects on the artistic nature behind Service Design’s inherently
pragmatic outlook

I ’ve discussed a multitude of design artefacts

in previous columns, from transit maps
to sidewalk ramps and seed distribution
networks to community engagement meetings.
The process of service design tends to be an
inherently practical one. It often builds on
business practices like process flow mapping and
business model generation, adding a human-
centered lens, yet remaining focused on the
pragmatic considerations of value transaction.
But the service design process and its outputs
also embrace a qualitative side, with a sense of
nuance, imagination and art.
Oftentimes, art and science are portrayed
as opposing, balanced forces. Art is depicted as
drawing in a creative, independent spirit to bring
new things to the world. Science, in comparison,
stereotypically relies on staid, methodical analysis
to generate innovation. But these distinctions
don’t mean that the approaches are incompatible.
The service design process integrates artistic
creativity and visual communication with
scientific investigation and iteration. By fusing the
artistic with the scientific, service design enables
organisations to develop solutions that elegantly
address the needs of users, while remaining
financially viable and operationally feasible.
Creativity is imbued in service design as
a practice. It’s a process for envisioning how
the future world might look; how its people,
structures, objects and technology might
work together to deliver value in previously
unimagined ways. Much of this perspective
is founded in artistic traditions, from the
societal critique of Thomas More’s Utopia to
the surrealism of Salvador Dalí, artists across
media have challenged their viewers to consider
alternatives to our world as it is today. Service
design directs that creative thinking to action,
operationalising imagination by defining how
that imagined future can come to be and why it is
compelling to the world. Through this mindset –
a fusion of idealism and pragmatism – designers
than the signage systems of two of the world’s
largest transit systems: New York City’s Subway
and Paris’ Métro. A part of the lives of millions
of commuters and tourists each day, these two
Through
an artistic
mindset, service
services’ signage are inseparable from the look designers create
and feel of their cities. The Métro’s wayfinding
system has developed over many years, across
touchpoints
many artistic periods, giving it an eclectic, and artefacts
dynamic feel. Perhaps because of that variety, a that can stand
sign into an entrance is not just a sign, it’s a piece on their own as
of the city, the neighbourhood, a piece of art
that matches a place. On the other hand, signage pieces of art
in the New York City Subway is defined by its
uniform mid-century aesthetic. In the 1970s,
legendary designer Massimo Vignelli established
a standardised system for the Subway to codify
the integration of the city’s historically separate
rail companies. That design system remains
today; an expansive piece of art that ensures
that locals and visitors alike can find their way
through the streets and tunnels of New York City.
Despite an orientation toward pragmatic,
operational outcomes, service design is a practice
that is founded in a history of artistic creativity. New York City Subway
Its methods demand creativity and visual passengers are directed
communication; its practitioners’ mindsets are by a unified system
of signs, a service of
rooted in imagination and its artifacts define wayfinding that defines
the visual contours of the cities that employ a visual tone for the
it. Through art and science, service designers entire transit system
imagine and realise the future. and the city
PHOTO: RELAX/FLICKR

frame opportunities and develop services that

deliver new and unique value to their users.
Through an artistic mindset, service
designers create touchpoints and artefacts that
can stand on their own as pieces of art. None
are perhaps more famous, and more different,

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 PHOTO: MER S/FLICKR
Paris’ Métro signage is diverse and intrinsically tied to the artistic flavour of the city

GRAPHIC: ABRAHAM ORTELIUS (D. 1598, PUBLIC DOMAIN)

PHOTO: _DCHRIS/FLICKR

Service design is an inherently visual practice. Even Sir Thomas More’s Utopia has inspired generations of designers to imagine
in the earliest, most conceptual stages, designers what is possible for the future of urban living by prompting the question of
use visual, artistic communication to define, revise what is truly ideal
and communicate their ideas

Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 15

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 CITY LIGHTS>Design Process
The Artform Driving Innovation
Through the art of design research and synthesis, Amrita Kulkarni recommends
the search for the right problem to solve before solving it the right way
“U ntil computers can simulate human
curiosity and human sparks of insight,
until computers can synthesise
information and recognise a serendipitous
discovery when it stares them in the face, robots
will remain tools designed to discover what we
already expect,” declares Neil DeGrasse Tyson, the
globally recognised authority on astrophysics. It
seems the accuracy and reliability of science can
only get us so far before it needs the art of human
instinct to inspire a new direction.
The relationship between art and science
has forever been a complementary one; if it’s
not a science, then it must be an art and vice
versa. Categorising as art anything that cannot
be securely quantified and needs human instinct,
skill, or understanding is a common occurrence:
grandma’s baking techniques, an actor’s
storytelling, an expert’s clarity, a mother’s healing
touch. While the omnipresence of art can be
seen as a compliment to its value, the ambiguity
in being a catch-all can be tiresome for those
seeking its mastery.
So, what is the unquantifiable, unexplainable
and undefinable art in the domain of design?
While it may seem that the entire business
of design is a mystery, there is a specific lens
that distinguishes the routine from the truly
16 | MY LIVEABLE CITY • Oct-Dec 2019
16-17designprocess/iss23.indd 16
groundbreaking: the art of doing the right things
before doing them the right way. Simply put, it is
about identifying the right problem to solve the
pertinent questions to ask and the true need to
The more
a company
focuses on
address, before beginning to find solutions in the understanding
most beautiful, meaningful and feasible way. the unexpressed,
It is not uncommon to see solutions to
apparent problems. Take for instance adding a unspoken
button to your remote to access new TV features, and invisible
while the missed opportunity was to address the needs of their
true need: intuitive navigation by simplifying end users, the
the interface. How does this happen? In a lot of
instances, designers, engineers and problem- more they are
solvers skip the part where they question the able to ensure
apparent problem to uncover paradigm-shifting success in the
insights or expose unmet needs and instead begin
directly with implementation of ideas as solutions
marketplace
to perceived issues.
The difference between the two approaches
can land products, services and experiences in
entirely different spheres of success. Think of
the difference between Uber and yet another car
rental company, the iPod and any earlier mp3
player, the Ford T model and a faster horse. They
all demonstrate the power of defining the right
design brief before building solutions. Henry Ford
uncovered a need deeper than a faster horse: to
get someplace as quickly as possible. Similarly,
02/10/19 2:27 PM

designers at Apple were solving for a seamless
music experience instead of just offering mobile
music, something that didn’t include the struggle
to download mp3s or access broadband internet.
The more a company focuses on
understanding the unexpressed, unspoken and
invisible needs of their end users, the more they
are able to ensure success in the marketplace.
Marketing teams have for decades engaged with
end consumers in different ways: what must be
done differently now? If game-changing needs
are unexpressed, how does one discover them?
Through observation-led design research and
synthesis methods instead of interview-led
surveys and analysis.
The distinction is stark: interviews, surveys
and other traditional market research methods
ask people what they want, while observational
research understands what people do and why.
The former can be conducted remotely, with
hundreds of participants, is predictably cheaper,
while the latter must be done contextually
wherever users are, is typically limited to a
smaller set of participants and takes time and
energy. Learning gained from surveys and remote
interviews is limited by the questions asked,
while immersion into participants’ contexts and
seeing how people work around problems enables
better questions.
Understanding behavioural motivations is key,
but simply conducting research contextually and
qualitatively does not mean you’ve gained insight.
That requires a rigorous search for meaning
16-17designprocess/iss23.indd 17
Left: Conducting contextual
research captures
behavioural nuances that
surveys may not know to
ask. In this case, asking a
user to show us how she
grinds food items made us
realise that she engages
with her children in close
proximity as she pounds. Any
product solution, therefore,
would have to address her
multitasking mode and
presents an opportunity to
design an interaction
Right: Observing this user
paint in her rural home
setting made us understand
why she prefers not to move
to a big city: she may not be
able to afford the daylight
and space she needs to do
her work well in a cramped
city context. We designed a
product solution that allows
her to stay in her village but
widens her knowledge of city
needs so her products could
be sold there
through a systemic lens, assessing the influence
of the bigger picture. Interpretation of observed
behaviours for unmet needs to build a higher,
simpler understanding of the entire system at
play – called synthesis – is distinct from analysis,
a breakdown and slicing of data for a detailed
examination of specific elements. Synthesis
findings are holistic, describe interdependencies
and explain behavioural motivation, while
analysis reports outline trends and probabilities.
Leveraging the combination of contextual
research and synthesis methods results in
paradigm-shifting insights that present unending
opportunities for innovation. Getting to this
point, however, requires curiosity about human
behaviour, sound observational skill, on-the-
spot thinking, controlled communication,
systemic deliberation, iterative solutioning, visual
organisation and engaging narration. It is little
wonder that this is an art! Design researchers can
too easily be betrayed by overpowered empathy,
leading questions, passion for specific ideas, or
failure to course-correct, leading to unsurprising
or expected learning.
Given the disruptive power and growing
popularity of this approach, the art of design
research and synthesis will receive increasing
scrutiny in the coming years. Attempts to
‘standardise’ and deploy these methods across
organisations will try to reduce the artform to
an exact science, though my tender hope is for
art and science to come together for a stronger,
scalable and sustainable approach.
Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 17
02/10/19 2:32 PM
 THE JOY OF CITIES>Visual Language

Sculpture as the Organising

Force in Urban Design
Shyam Khandekar writes about how sculptures can be used as a powerful means
to create urban design and makes a plea for using them often and effectively

W hen I arrived in Rotterdam nearly 45

years ago, one of the things that made
an impression on me was the sculpture
entitled The Destroyed City by the Russian-French
I perceived how
sculptures and
urban spaces
sculptor Ossip Zadkine depicting the bombed-out can interact
city of Rotterdam. The city had been destroyed
so completely by German bombing during World
War II that, except for a few buildings, almost
the entire historic centre had been obliterated.
The figure of a human being in anguish and pain,
with an empty space where its heart would be,
perfectly depicted Rotterdam. Yet I remember
that I thought the sculpture was located on an
empty space which had no relationship to the
urban space.
So while the quality of the sculpture by
Ossip Zadkine was astounding, the sculpture, I
thought, did little to organise the public space Left: The Destroyed City by
Ossip Zadkine
CC WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

around it. During the following years, as I Bottom: View of Piazzetta

travelled through historic cities in Europe, San Marco toward Grand
Canal of Venice, at dawn,
I perceived how sculptures and urban spaces can with Doges’ Palace on the left
interact and create a powerful synergy. and Biblioteca Marciana on
When I visited Venice, while I was inspired the right. The two columns
are, from left to right, Saint
by the streets, buildings and urban spaces in Mark’s, protector of the city,
that historic city, I was particularly impressed by and Saint Theodore’s

BENH LIEU SONG - OWN WORK, CC WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

ILLUSTRATION
2: Two columns with
sculptures at Piazza
San Marco, Venice

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 The two
sculptures… close

BY DIDIER DESCOUENS - OWN WORK, CC

BY DIDIER DESCOUENS - OWN WORK, CC

to the water at
Piazza San Marco…
by their size and

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
placement, worked
as a spatial filter

the two sculptures standing on columns close

to the water at Piazza San Marco. They defined,
in an interesting way, the space of the Piazza
as it opened to the water, without cutting it off
completely. Here, the sculptures, by their size

PETER J.STB.GREEN - OWN WORK, CC WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

and placement, worked as a spatial filter, as a
window to the nature that was the raison d’etre
of Venice.
While visiting Rome, I marvelled at how the
statue of Marcus Aurelius on a horse, placed
on a base, not only served as a visual focus for a
beautiful urban space, but the oval form and the
star-shaped paving pattern on the square and
the series of steps leading to it, anchored the
sculpture to the urban space and the landscape.
The examples from Venice and Rome
illustrate amply how sculptures can not only
be elements in themselves but, if carefully
positioned in the urban space, can lead to a
strong synergy within the urban context.
In his seminal book The Design of Cities,
Edmund Bacon writes in detail how in the
development of the urban space in front of
JENSENS /PUBLIC DOMAIN. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

St. Peter’s in Vatican City, the positioning and

size of a sculpture (in this case, an Egyptian
obelisk) was such a powerful catalyst and
organising force during the following decades
for the formation of the urban space as we know
it today.
Through a series of drawings, Bacon
shows how the placing of the obelisk in an
unstructured space was such an important act
of design and how that led, in a series of steps,
to reorganisation of the urban space. Bacon
writes, “The design influence of the deliberate
act of Sixtus V was realised 80 years after his
death, so it did not stem from any direct power
he exercised during his lifetime. The point in
space demarcated by the obelisk became the
determinant in later construction because of the
Top Left: St. Theodore on power of the idea in men’s minds, transmitted
the western column over generations by the physical fact of the
Top Right: The Lion of obelisk’s existence.”
Venice in Piazzetta
Middle: The Piazzetta San What the above examples show is that
Marco, view from Saint not only can a sculpture be a great piece of
Mark’s Basilica
Bottom: The Campidoglio
art in a city appreciated by one and all and a
in Rome symbol of a city (as Ossip Zadkine’s sculpture

Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 19

18-21JOC-shyam.indd 19 03/10/19 2:41 PM

 THE JOY OF CITIES>Visual Language

did in Rotterdam) but, if properly designed
and located, it can be a great tool in achieving
greater results in urban design, such as defining
spatial boundary as at Piazza San Marco in
Venice, engaging with the landscape as at
Campidoglio in Rome or acting as an organising
force for structuring urban space through the
decades, as at St.Peter’s in Rome.
However, the modern generation of urban
designers seem to have lost their capacity to
use sculptures this way. Look at the designs of
new cities and urban quarters almost in any
part of the world and one must come to this
sad conclusion. Is this because we train our
designers to be such specialists that they are
not able to see the art of urban design and city-
planning and the art of sculptures as one whole?
Rethinking sculptures as part of urban space can
even be done on a smaller scale as shown below.
Recently, I was able to work in the
Netherlands on the design of a private landscape
and its transition to a small public pond. While
the garden itself was not imposing in scale (just
10 x 20 metres), the size of the adjoining pond
was, in comparison, much larger, with a length of
nearly 100 metres.

DILIFF - OWN WORK, CC WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

WKNIGHT94/ WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Top: The placement of an obelisk in an unstructured space by Sixtus V,

St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome
Bottom Left: The obelisk at the centre of the great oval colonnade of
Bernini, which defines this magnificent urban space
Bottom Right: Painting depicting the square with the obelisk in place
at the time of Sixtus’s death

20 | MY LIVEABLE CITY • Oct-Dec 2019

18-21JOC-shyam.indd 20 02/10/19 2:40 PM


The view of the pond
before the sculpture
So I invited the well-known Indian sculptor
K.S. Radhakrishnan to design a sculpture as
a transitional element between the private
garden and the public pond. In my invitation
I also described to the sculptor the dynamic
Dutch skies where the clouds are always on the
move, sometimes friendly and at other times
threatening. The sculpture thus also had to be
placed at a height so that it could be seen against
the Dutch skies, painted so effectively through
centuries by Dutch painters such as in the 17th
century by Jacob van Ruisdael.
The sculpture designed by Radhakrishnan –
18-21JOC-shyam.indd 21
Photos showing how
K.S. Radhakrishnan’s
Maiya ‘visually
appropriates’ the pond and
the larger landscape as
part of the private garden
ALL PHOTOS: AUTHOR
Maiya In The Sky – does all that and more!
Besides beautifully depicting a lady in free
spirit, the placement of the sculpture on a column
has resulted in the lake functioning almost as a
background to the sculpture. Radhakrishnan’s
Maiya is not only a dynamic sculpted lady but it
also visually ‘appropriates’ the lake as part of the
garden. The placement of the sculpture results
in the pond and the garden ‘becoming one’ with
each other and with the other landscape elements
around the lake. With just a height of one and a
half metres, Radhakrishnan’s Maiya has become
the central focal point of the extensive landscape.
Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 21
02/10/19 2:50 PM
 THE JOY OF CITIES>Visual Display
Digital Art in the Public
Realm of Cities
John G. Jung on how the city will be the new Museum of Modern Art
A rt in the public realm of the city is
usually imagined in the context of
sculpture, paint and perhaps impressive
built form and landscaping. But we must open
our minds to include digital expressions that
have been increasingly adding to our palette in
the urban landscape. While some may suggest
that utilitarian features in our landscape using
digital applications simply isn’t ‘art’ or any form
of artistic expression, they are, nevertheless,
transforming how we view and have come
to accept digital applications as part of our
everyday life. For instance, modern signage has
transformed from static pictures and plain text to
moving images and strategic words amplifying its
message over video.
22 | MY LIVEABLE CITY • Oct-Dec 2019
22-25JOC-digitalstreets.indd 22
The Asian street
is more likely
to re ect a
heterogeneous
assembly of
types that vary
Parking and speed limit signage have evolved
to indicate not only digital text and imagery to
help navigate drivers to seek an available parking
spot, but also express penalties as a form of driver
behaviour modification. Information kiosks on
New York City’s Iconic
Times Square – Digital
billboards attract tourists
from around the world
streets and in interior public spaces are able to
help a person navigate the area, charge their
smart phone, watch an instructional video or
even offer free Wi-Fi as an Internet hotspot.
Materials based on nano-technological advances
have become imbedded in roadways to help
drivers see at night and road signage has also
expanded to alert drivers of changing events
ahead of them, such as congestion or an accident.
Even street furniture is getting into the act. These
and many other areas of digital and advanced
02/10/19 2:52 PM
 technology are now helping us to live our lives
more safely, with greater convenience, comfort and
with considerable interest in our surroundings.
Now imagine using the same palette of these
new forms of digital and advanced technological
elements in expressing digital art in new ways in
our cities. Through use of digital and advanced
material applications, myriad forms of expression
have begun to take shape. Many of us are familiar
with the form of urban kitsch, an artform that
many art critics have characterised by exaggerated
sentimentality and melodrama, such as the
massive LED lighting and sound display at the Las
Vegas Freemont Street Experience. Times Square
in New York also comes to mind, but it seems far
more acceptable as a light show than the ‘glitter
gulch’ displays in Las Vegas. Digital displays and
accompanying digital audio experiences attract
our eyes and could perhaps stimulate us in ways
that other art forms may not. It may be fleeting,
moving images or recurring, looping images that
we wait to see again before moving on. It may
also be the rhythmic sounds that accompany the
stunning images that captivate us even though
we may all agree, it was in fact corny or over the
top. This is clearly the intent of the huge water
fountain displays that move in sensuous rhythms
to the booming digital music at the Burj in Dubai
and in Las Vegas at the Bellagio.
Entertainment districts around the world
have emulated the glitz of Las Vegas and Times
Square in some form. For instance, Toronto’s
Yonge-Dundas Square and London’s Piccadilly
Circus offer exciting memories for visitors and
citizens alike. The Empire State Building in New
York and the CN Tower in Toronto change their
lighting to reflect messages of the times such as
rainbow colours celebrating Pride Week. In an
effort to be more memorable, many cities have lit
up the tops of their buildings to showcase their
cities as exciting and vibrant places that might
attract visitors and investors.
22-25JOC-digitalstreets.indd 23
Closer to the ground, new urban art forms Digital
have been developed using street furniture to help
direct traffic, streetlamps with digital displays,
displays and
sidewalks with embedded materials that emit the accompanying
sun’s energy at night and high-intensity projection digital audio
technologies to display images onto buildings, experiences
silos and even on to mountains. Benches in
Warsaw use digital displays to tell the history of attract our eyes
the area or the building it fronts. Digital audio
emanating from street furniture and QR codes
allow personal smart phones to pick up details
about the history and character of the area from
the street furniture and nearby kiosks. Dutch
artist, Daan Roosegaarde, produced simulated
waves of water in massive urban settings, which
he calls ‘Waterlicht’. These demonstrations turn
underutilised areas of the city environment into
showcases for this digital technology, offering its
citizens the chance to rediscover these hidden
parts of their community. The example shown here
is taken from under a raised expressway in Toronto
in an area called The Bentway, which is being
reutilised for renewed urban activity. Likewise,
Roosegaarde has embedded solar absorbing
materials in a bicycle pathway leading to Vincent
van Gogh’s home in Nuenen, in the Netherlands,
creating a striking image reminiscent of one of his
paintings, The Starry Night.
Kiosks, both indoor and outdoor, such as
demonstrated in the Taoyuan International
Airport in Taiwan are able to provide digital
information, on-site navigation and promote the
redevelopment plans of the area. But they can
also be designed as multi-functional kiosks that
could include opportunities for showcasing the
area’s culture in film and art displays. In Incheon,
South Korea, a massive digital art display
Left: Miracle Mile in Las Vegas
dominates the central area of the international – Digital advertising that
airport. Throughout this airport, a cacophony of seems to never end
digital art in signage and sculpture can be found; Right: Eye-catching imagery
dominates the central area
and there are ‘helper robots’ that can guide you of the Incheon International
around the airport and even to the art pieces if Airport
Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 23
02/10/19 2:53 PM
 THE JOY OF CITIES>Visual Display
you ask. Some of the signage, picture displays,
videos and even lighting of buildings in the public
realm can be designed to be interactive, allowing
the visitor to engage with the art form, display
or lighting panels to create a more interesting
and memorable user experience by changing
the mood and tone of the public realm. For
instance, a digital display in one of Taiwan’s
subway systems captures the image of the person
and creates multiple versions of digital art from
its passing likeness. In Stockholm, a local tower
allows members of the public to change its colour
scheme through an App on their smartphone.
And in China, they are experimenting with
‘Chameleon’ paint that changes colours allowing
its citizenry to change the colour and tone of the
public space at will.
Just as museums have begun to display
videos to provide the context of the museum
piece being demonstrated and retail stores
showcase chefs demonstrating a recipe that
uses the ingredients on the shelf, a display at
the entrance of the Pushkin State Museum
of Fine Arts demonstrated the art of Banksy
through Virtual Reality technology. Not only
does the person immerse himself in the iconic
24 | MY LIVEABLE CITY • Oct-Dec 2019
22-25JOC-digitalstreets.indd 24
Banksy imagery, but everyone in the vicinity can Benches in
experience what he is seeing at that moment
in digital displays nearby. To top it off, classical Warsaw use
music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky accompanying digital displays
the Virtual Reality presentation is enhanced to tell the history
through digital audio technology and it is clear of the area
and loud enough to inspire some visitors to
dance on the adjacent roadway.
Mobility has also found opportunities for
digital expression. In Shanghai, the evening is
accentuated with all of its major expressways lit
up in brilliant blue lights. LED advertisements
have been known to grace the sides of
dirigibles over sporting events in the sky as
well as specially designed advertising trucks
in New York City that roam the streets with
moving displays. Video streaming of films and
advertisements can also be found on buses and
trains in urban areas. Bus kiosks have also found
many new forms of expression. For instance, in
New York, images from art houses and studios
can be found on bus shelters and adjacent to
them in storefronts and on billboards in upper
stories. Empty storefronts can rent digital
art pieces and advertise the space from their
windows. There are also many other forms of
Top Left: Shanghai’s
expressways are a fantastic
artistic expression in brilliant
blue
Top Right: Visitors throng
the Freemont Street
Experience nightly in Las
Vegas showcasing an LED
lightshow presentation over a
four-block area
Bottom: Digital bench in
Warsaw aids tourists in
learning more about the
historic street
02/10/19 2:53 PM
 Top Left: Dutch artist, Daan

ALL PHOTOS: J. JUNG

Roosegaarde, embedded
solar absorbing materials in
a bicycle pathway leading to
Vincent van Gogh’s home in
Nuenen, reminiscent of one
of his paintings, The Starry
Night
Top Right: Digital wall in
Taoyuan Metro, Taiwan,
reflecting new images of
people passing by
Bottom: Audio enhanced
Fountain Display at the Burj
in Dubai

digital art, communications and technologically-
influenced artistic expressions, such as
coordinated drones simulating fireworks, robots
dancing in sync, Artificial Intelligence creating
unique expressions of art on any kind of material
and advances in nanotechnology, which can
change the colours and shapes of surfaces on
buildings, buses and street poles.
Today, forms of artistic expression seem
limitless. Traditional art is, of course, revered in
museums, corporate foyers and in public spaces.
But new forms of expression in urban art are
taking on traditional ways to showcase modern
art in ways never before dreamed about using
LED lighting, high-intensity lighting, embedded
advanced materials and digital means on LED
screens and on other materials that bend
around buildings and can move with sculptural
expression. The transmission of images, colour
and text and the shaping of art in public spaces
will only intensify with advances in materials,
projection and digital tools, such as the coming
of 5G technologies and further advances in
Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things.
Soon, art in cities will forever be changed and
our new Museums of Art will be the city.

Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 25

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 THE JOY OF CITIES>Sketch in Time
Drawn to Travel
Dhiru A. Thadani on why drawing is a great way to learn
I have always loved to travel. I welcome every
opportunity to visit new places and explore,
analyse, document and decode the genius loci
of where I am. Making maps, interpreting street
networks, pacing off dimensions, drawing street
sections, formulating comparative scale drawings
and documenting public places imbeds travel
experiences into my memory. Doing this permits
me to understand those things that make places
beautiful and enrich the soul.
26-30JOC-ART/dhiru.indd 26
For me, the making of architecture is a
process that draws upon and assimilates visual
ideas that have been stored in memory. The goal
is to construct human habitats that are safe,
sturdy, comfortable, functional, interesting and
provide sustainable shelter from the natural
elements. I strive to make beautiful places that
uplift the human spirit, as well as complement
and contribute to the context, both in physical
form and cultural spirit. As I see it, travel and
Entry of Piazza Navona, Rome
03/10/19 10:56 AM
 Cliffscape, Oia, Santorini

Lenin’s Tomb, Moscow

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 THE JOY OF CITIES>Sketch in Time

Acropolis, Athens

Bell Tower, Beijing

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 Piazza Navona, Rome Albenga Towers, Liguria, Italy

Symi Waterfront,
Dodecanese, Greece

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 THE JOY OF CITIES>Sketch in Time

Aerial view of Duomo, Florence, Italy

drawing are integral to this profession that
requires a commitment to lifelong learning and
the constant pursuit of knowledge. There is just
too much information to remember.
Drawing and writing help catalogue
knowledge gained. The collection of experiences
and memories serve as a design resource to draw
upon, in problem solving and in making art. The
design process is a subconscious act of emulating,
merging and incorporating positive experiences
in natural and man-made environments and
ensuring that negative experiences encountered
in the built environment are not repeated.
This stored catalogue of experiences emerges
in random, non-linear patterns, which informs
the process and eventually the product. Taking
photographs or reading magazine articles is a
poor substitute for the well of ideas one collects
while making an in situ drawing. It is not only a
visual exercise, but a sensory immersion in sound,
smell, feeling and light. A professor of mine once
alleged that the practice of architecture was a
profession for the elderly. The brash, suspicious,
cynical youth in me surmised that the older
generation of architects was only trying to keep
us young Turks at bay. In hindsight, there is truth
in the claim.
With age, the cumulative knowledge I gained
through travel and drawing is vast, culminating
in an infinite catalogue of ideas that enriches my
Moscow Tower design process and the built outcome. Drawing is
experience. Drawing is research. Sketchbooks are
stored experience. Drawn ideas are remembered
ideas and travel is a design generator, if we draw.

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 THE JOY OF CITIES>Film Cities
Films in the Urban Context
Films can have an impact on cities. Tapas Mitra explains how reel life influences real life
I n his autobiography, Charlie Chaplin
mentions a meeting with Gertrude Stein
and what she felt about cinema as an art
form and how she would like to see Chaplin
in a film. “She would like to see me in a movie
just walking up the street and turning a corner,
then another corner and another.” We can
very well infer from Stein’s statement that the
visual she imagined was essentially in an urban
setting and not any specific urban setting. As a
principal mentor of the Parisian avant-garde,
Gertrude Stein knew the nuances of a city scene
and its relationship with the medium of cinema.
The purpose of this essay is to show how the
medium of cinema embraces and transcends
the urban setting. In the early days of cinema,
the identity of specific cities was of little or
no consequence. Film viewers need not have
identified with them, even though the themes
were essentially urban (unemployment,
migration, homelessness, crimes etc.). With the
progress of cinema as an art form, all the above
concerns have come to be placed in real cities
with the viewer able to identify them through
landmarks and known urban places. The
concerns remain universal, while the contexts
are specific.
During the days of early short films,
Hollywood greats like Chaplin, Keaton,
Langdon, Lloyd and other comedians in the
business abundantly used city locations to
work out their ‘plots’. There was almost no
reference to a specific city, and it was, perhaps,
not needed either. What was needed was a city
street, people, cars, tall buildings, a railway
track, which were ingredients that all these
artists needed to perform the gags. Not a
single Keaton film could be conceived without
a contraption to jump from the roof of a tall
building onto an adjacent one only to fall along
its wall and eventually reach the basement and
land on a car to be carried out instantly on the
city streets for a resumed chase by a whole
battery of policemen. The viewers of these
episodes wanted to see Keaton as much as they
31-33JOC-cinema/tapas.indd 31
wanted to see the city and these unforgettable
episodes could perhaps never have been
conceived without the essential chaos of an
urban setting. The constant ‘action’ scenes had
In the early days
of cinema, there
was almost no
to be essentially urban. reference to a
The city has always been an arena of ‘action’ specific cit
during those early days of two-reel comedies.
Chaplin hung on to the silent mode till long
after sound came to Hollywood. City Lights,
Chaplin’s third full length feature film, shot
in Chaplin Studios and urban locations in Los
Angeles (Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles was
a favourite location and much of the film was
shot here), may be considered an example of the
‘universal’ urban as a basis of the diverse ‘real’
constructs in public imagination as well as the
specialists’ subject of interest and engagement.
Donald W. McCaffrey, the film critic, writes:
“The big city seems like a far-off place –
somewhere in Europe, possibly. The home of
the blind girl, acted by Virginia Cherrill, has the
look of a poor Spanish courtyard and is reached
by an archway from the city streets. In short, the
environment is a synthesis that suited Chaplin’s
romantic view.” In Woody Allen’s Manhattan, the
final scene is based on the climax of City Lights.
The ‘universal’ urban, thus presents distant real
images (like the Spanish courtyard) and provides
the basis for realism in films shot in actual
locations (as in the case of Manhattan).
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DOMAIN, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Buster Keaton, ‘The great
stone face’ in Cops (1923)
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 THE JOY OF CITIES>Film Cities

Charlie Chaplin, City Lights

(1932)
traffic as he tries to pick up flowers and cake,
to make the occasion special. The film, which
is so essentially Paris of the ’60s, may well

HTTP://WWW.CREATIVELYDIFFERENTBLINDS.COM/TVSTAGEANDFILM/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
be a portrait of cities in India or other cities
where private ownership of cars in middle class
families is so common today. Traffic jams, the
central ‘plot’ of the film, is an urban problem
cities are grappling with.
Happy Anniversary could start from
anywhere, like nearly all of Franz Kafka’s
novels, narrated with the slimmest plotlines
without conventional beginnings or ends. The
filmmaker of Happy Anniversary, like Kafka,
does not take it upon himself to ‘introduce’ the
narrative. The film, rather, plays out the events
in a style that could be described as a detached
commentary with dispassionate humour
employing techniques of the French new wave
– jump cuts and depiction of parallel narratives
in the form of a collage of moving images. The
documentary style of the film and the lack of
a conventional narrative bring Kafka in this
discussion and it will always remain a debate
whether Kafka’s novels, which don’t follow
the conventional narrative ideal, are the best
material for a film or not. His novels too, like
In City Lights, the city is not known, but the tramp films of Chaplin (ending with Modern
perhaps it is of no consequence. The universal Times as the tramp and the leading lady slowly
theme of migration, homelessness and the fade out into the landscape towards the hills)
eternal search for a home in the city transcend are not located in any city, but in the ‘universal’
space and time and remain the key urban urban. In The Trial, there is the judge who is
concerns even today in most parts of the world. elusive. There are assassins who take the main
The city and its images, thus, represent a character out of town and finally thrust the
kind of naturalism imagined in specific terms butcher’s knife in his heart. There was a glimpse
by artists, writers and the average movie-goer of a window opening on the upper floor of an
and are perhaps as impactful as the work of adjacent house. There was a hint of hope in the
James Joyce where naturalism is depicted in story, which seems unfinished. But the images
the minutest details in his lifelong narratives are penetrating.
of Dublin in his epic novels like Ulysses. Satyajit Ray once said of Godard that,
Counterparts, a story from his only collection of “Cinema is in his bones.” When we watch
short stories (Dubliners) for instance, is a highly Breathless, we know that the filmmaker is
‘filmable’ tale. It could be placed in any city as engaged in the ‘universal’ theme of the man on
long as there is a man employed/caged from ten the run, pretty much in the style of the early
to five in an office and the city remains a refuge comedies of Chaplin or Keaton. But in his
from humiliation and workplace agonies. Only treatment of the film he is being able to break
the details worked out in Joyce’s narrative will
have to be replaced by the details of another
city. The afternoons of freedom portrayed in
the story will have to be nuanced differently.
GARY STEVENS - JEAN-LUC GODARD AT
BERKELEY, 1968UPLOADED BY OD1N,

The ‘real’ bars (Scotch house, Mulligan’s etc.)

mentioned in the story will have to be replaced
by ‘real’ bars in another city. And if set in
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contemporary times, the number of children

at home may have to be reduced. Here, one
would like to remember Happy Anniversary, a
12-minute film shot in 1962 by Pierre Étaix,
which depicts the story of the unending wait
of a wife on the day of their anniversary, while
the husband navigates through the chaotic Paris Jean-Luc Godard at Berkeley (1968)

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 that a revolution in the art of filmmaking had
happened in the late ’40s and the beginning of the
’50s and followed the basic tenets of the new style
of filmmaking to develop a language of Indian
contemporary cinema. But for Ray the location
was supreme and the importance of the story
central. His film scripts, like Kurosawa’s, were

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works of art. Failures in portraying little details for
him were seminal gaps. He writes in the preface to
his compilation of essays in Our Films, Their Films:
“Looking at Pather Panchali today, I am upset by
errors in detail, which keep blurring the social
identity of some of its characters. I know this was
caused by my lack of familiarity with the rural
scene. And yet it is possible for a film to work,
as Pather Panchali does, whenever it leaves its
regional moorings and rises to a plane of universal
Satyajit Ray with Ravi Shankar out of a narrative, the plot, even the setting: the gestures and universal emotions.”
at a music recording for city of Paris. In his use of the sound montage, in His later films have had an obsessive
Pather Panchali
the use of the stills and obsessive movement of engagement with details and the urban specific
the camera, rarely on the track, most of the time (in his Calcutta series films like Mahanagar
hand held, he portrays the city and its people in and Pratidwandi, for instance) but, most
a whirlwind; in a constant tension in the face importantly, they have been able to rise above
of an imminent collapse, as it were. Breathless their regional moorings to a plane of ‘universal
too, could have started from anywhere. It is only gestures and universal emotions.’ But apart
incidental that it starts with the murder. And it is from the universal appeal of the themes, the
also incidental that the film ends with the death city of Calcutta and its problems, primarily of
of the murderer, the bragging gangster played by post-war and post-Partition India, have been
Jean Claude Belmondo. The girl in the lead does depicted in these films with superb artistry
not break down, but instead becomes a party to and humanistic portrayals. The problems
his being hunted down. The remorseless, gender of urban migration and unemployment that
neutral face of crime is again a contemporary plagued the country in the 1960s and ’70s
portrayal and stems from the complexities and form the backdrop of these films, as are the
cosmopolitanism of urban crimes committed in changes in society that emerged as a result,
large cities across the world. It is a story without a with the middle class woman stepping out of
sad ending, but just an ending, unlike City Lights, the home (in Mahanagar i.e The Great City) to
which is classical in structure (with a beginning, a make a living and contributing to the family
middle part, an end, reinforced by a strong linear income are depicted with utmost sensitivity.
narrative and appropriate background score) These films document the social and economic
and ends on a tragic note. It is evident that the transformations of urban India and are
language and treatment of cinema have changed part of the larger narrative of its history of
considerably with the French new wave in the 30 independence, urbanism and liberalisation.
years after City Lights was made in Hollywood. The evolution of cinema as an art form
The absence of the script in the conventional has come a long way. Techniques have changed
format in Godard’s films is also a deliberate act of and new genres emerged, but the city as a
on- location construction of a film. “Godard’s way canvas, and perhaps the protagonist, has held
of filmmaking is like writing a diary. References centrestage in the course of its development.
are made arbitrarily, without a pattern, filming The spatial and temporal aspects of the
Traffic jams, the is done without a script, an incomplete idea transforming city are best captured through the
central ‘plot’ of matures in the process of making a film.” – Roy medium of films unlike the conventional static
Arnes in his book Film and Reality. modes of presentation used in the disciplines
the film, Happy French new wave cinema and its precursor, of urban planning and design. Literature and
Anniversary, the Italian neo-realism, employed certain films on cities are now at the core of urban
is an urban methods and techniques that changed the art studies and critical analyses of these forms and
of filmmaking forever. These were, on-location synthesis in the teaching-learning processes of
problem cities shooting, abolishing the star system and minimal planning and design are essential. Mitigation of
are grappling use of the studio. Neo-realist filmmakers (De urban problems and intervention strategies can
with Sica and Renoir in particular) were the main be much better orchestrated by an appreciation
forces to shape Satyajit Ray’s films. They knew of these essential urban art forms.

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 THE JOY OF CITIES>Photo Essay

Streets as Places of
Expression
Text and photographs by Ananta Ganjoo and Surya Srinivas Boddu

F or a city, streets are the most ubiquitous,

democratic and dynamic forms of public
spaces. They are open to all and provide
an equal ground for all sections of society to
come together and participate in the drama
of everyday urban life. From Chandni Chowk
in Old Delhi, India, to the Champs Elysees in
Paris, France, streets depict the role of politics,
economics, lifestyles, popular culture, opinions
and important choices made in history, in
shaping the present city form and society.
In the city, the street is also a plastic space,
malleable and in constant course of making and
re-making. As our engagements with it continue
to add new meanings to the urban space and
prevailing practice, the street sometimes
becomes the humble beholder of the everyday-
ness, sometimes a powerful witness to past
traditions being re-constructed and re-lived in
the present, sometimes a glaring reflection of
the growing unrest in society and sometimes
an adorned manifestation of cultural marketing
and city branding. The streets of France, known
world over for their unique form and character,
represent an intricate and complex mix of this.
The examples in this photo essay highlight the
transformations at different scales on well-
known streets and public spaces in different
cities of France.
Through physical notions of enclosure, axis,
centrality, nodes and permeability, streets have
contributed to a great extent in defining the Paris
spatial dimensions of everyday life and events
alike. Though these spaces could be named,
structured and mapped, their reality can only be
lived through experience. As streets channelise Bordeaux
different social groups to come together and
act together on their own terms, they lead to Marseille
Toulouse
a co-created space owned by and belonging to
everyone, thereby providing opportunities to
enrich cultural identity and build a sense of
pride and belonging. Map of France

Rue de Trois Rois, Cours Julien: Rue de Trois Rois is Marseille’s most vibrant quarter centre on Cours Julien, an elongated concrete square lined
with great bars, cafes and music venues. The narrow side streets of the quarter are home to a wealth of bookshops, galleries, street art and ethnic
restaurants. These small streets become lively spaces by the evening with shops and restaurants opening directly onto them and transforming them
into an informal everyday social space. As the street art and multicultural scenery blend together, the street space creates an experiential backdrop
for exchanges and celebrations to take place.

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 Farmers market, Boulevard Auguste Blanqui, Place d’Italie, Paris: Open markets are an important part of French life. The footpath of
the boulevard between the metro stations Corvisart and Place d’Italie transforms into a weekly Sunday market where farmers from the
surrounding regions of Paris gather to sell their goods. This temporary market serves the immediate neighbourhoods with many fresh
farm products, handmade products etc. The morning market utilises the street for installing temporary stalls with minimum disturbance
or impact to the street or the infrastructure.

Capitole Square,
Toulouse: The main city
square with the city hall as
its backdrop is one of the
most visited places in the
city. This picture depicts
the transformation of
the square as it becomes
a stage for dance
performances to create
awareness among the
public.

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 THE JOY OF CITIES>Photo Essay

Fete le Vin (Wine Festival), Bordeaux: Being the wine capital of the world, Bordeaux has it’s wine festival every alternate year. The festival
celebrates wine, the most important part of the region’s culture. The riverfront is transformed into a theatrical space with exhibits from various
parts of the world and lined with pavilions serving locally produced wine by different merchants of the region. People from various parts of Europe
visit the city during this time of the year to celebrate and taste wine.

Fête de la Musique (Music Day), Paris:

Fête de la Musique is the annual music
celebration of the country that takes place
every year on June 21. On this day, people
across the country and city play music
in the streets, public places and parks.
Public institutions, museums, churches
etc., organise concerts for the public and
some of these develop into large scale
celebrations that attract thousands of
people. The entire event is organised by
the City of Paris with support from the
Ministry of Culture. On this day the city
transforms itself to celebrate music, with
street performances, concerts and bands
occupying street spaces to share in the
collective enjoyment.

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 ‘Allez Les Bleus!’, Bastille, Paris:
The moment the French football
team entered the semi-finals of
the World Cup 2018, people across
the city and country came onto the
streets and plazas to celebrate the
win, chanting anthems and slogans
of victory (‘Go Blue!’) on their way.

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 THE JOY OF CITIES>Illumination

Lighting and the City

Kapil Surlakar stresses on the importance of light in our lives

Opening these
garages is a
necessary
condition to be
able to redesign
the environment
around it

PHOTO: YANKO PEYANKOV/PIXABAY

I n the modern world, every populated
urban city has electricity and therefore
artificial light, which is turned on at sunset.
Artificial light offers mankind the opportunity
to extend their waking hours and utilise them
light. Though the conversations in these regions
revolve largely around weather, the underlying
cause of such anxiety is the lack of natural light,
which influences human physiology, disturbs
the circadian rhythms and sleep cycles, creating
Amsterdam: Street lighting
that defines the character of
the urban space

productively. One must therefore ensure that
this intervention of lighting a space is well
designed and comfortable for the end users, or
the inhabitants of the city. Lighting for cities
should ideally be designed by educated light
planners who understand the effects of light
on human physiology as well as the constantly
evolving lighting technologies. Human beings are
phototropic beings and their circadian rhythms
are governed by light.
Light influences human behaviour. The
people from the Earth’s temperate zones are
exposed to the severity of its effects in greater
intensity and are therefore more sensitive to
mood swings, feelings of physical unease, which
can sometimes lead to depression. These are all The
manifestations of the human response to light understanding
or the lack of it. The spectral qualities of visible and information
light have different properties, representative of
its physical presence at different wavelengths,
of the various
stretching from ultraviolet to infra-red. The green qualities of light
part of the spectrum is soothing whereas the red provide a palette
part induces a rush of adrenalin and the blue part to be utilised
keeps you awake. Warm tones of light induce
a cosy feeling whereas the cool tones create a to achieve
perception of brightness. the desired
The understanding and information of the ambience
various qualities of light provide a palette to be

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 utilised to achieve the desired ambience and
to cater to the intended functions of the spaces
being designed. The warm tones, with their
identity leaning towards fire, are also reminiscent
of a particular period and are apt for historical
environments, whereas the cooler light tones
can be identified with technology and artificial
light and therefore convey a more contemporary
period. Lighting therefore has to be a designed
and an informed intervention into any space,
especially a public urban space as it caters
to a multitude of people on a daily basis and
thoughtful lighting can only make the experience
for the users more comfortable and meaningful.
Every space has a functional need for light.
It is important that the same be aesthetically
and functionally articulated. Today, design
fundamentals are struggling to match the
fast-paced commercial environments that lay
a single-minded focus on pecuniary gains.
Light is a force that has the ability to create
very positive influences when utilised and
directed well. It also has the ability to cause
harm. Over-lit commercial spaces, light trespass
and pollution and misdirected light are some
of the parameters that need to be understood
and, if possible, minimised. Today, light is used
in media and advertising and these media are
sometimes plastered all over the urban space,
completely altering the character of the city.
Some media are static. However, technology
today allows screening of motion as well as sound
in these media and if not articulated with due
Jemaa el-Fna, Marrakesh, thought into the urban environment they can
Morocco be disturbing and obtrusive. This incidence of
38-41JOC-lighting/kapil.indd 39
moving light can be a distraction and a hazard for
traffic and pedestrian safety.
Street lighting is designed to facilitate
detection of motion by the sensors in the
human eye, which are active under low levels
of illuminance. They detect peripheral vision
and movement, which facilitate safety whilst
driving. This does not require luminaires with
high spectral qualities to achieve the functional
requirements. However, the same streetlight
when used in an urban context contributes the
dual purpose of illuminating streets and defining
the night-time character of the city. Therefore,
the quality of the light gains importance as it has
to render the cityscape in a pleasing manner.
Illumination in public spaces should be such
that it creates a feeling of safety amongst its
inhabitants. The illumination should be enough
to recognise faces as well as identify colour
and texture whilst taking into account other
parameters of comfort such as glare, intrusion
and light pollution. Light pollution is a result of
misdirected light contributing to a major loss
in power and must be avoided. Well-designed
lighting in conducive environments enhances
the experience of the space. Lighting can be used
to define the space; it is the fourth dimension of
architecture and has to be built into the design
language to achieve multi-fold benefits of the
experience in a space.
Light has been a central theme in some cities
across the world. In Hong Kong, it has been the
subject of a masterplan to activate the city at
night. Incentives are provided to the buildings
in Hong Kong that encourage them to allocate
PHOTO: ADAM SMIGIELSKI/UNSPLASH
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02/10/19 3:25 PM
 THE JOY OF CITIES>Illumination
budgets and spend on architectural lighting.
Each building lit at night is a part of the Hong
Kong skyline. The lighting in some buildings is
animated and forms part of a joint light show
that occurs every evening at a fixed time. This
approach has been exploited commercially to
market the city as a tourist destination.
Singapore has a lighting masterplan, which
is more subtle with a focus on functional lighting
and uses light for classification of zones and
defines the identity of each zone with the specific
parameters of light. These broad guidelines keep
the individual solutions cohesive and present a
unified urban image. The CBD (Central Business
District) of Singapore, with the Marina Bay
40 | MY LIVEABLE CITY • Oct-Dec 2019
38-41JOC-lighting/kapil.indd 40
Sands, Gardens By the Bay etc. have consciously Lack of light can
invested in architectural lighting design and have detrimental
provide light art and light shows in the evening.
Light can also be used to instil life into a effects on the
stagnant or dying city. The classic case in point is human body and
the City of Alingsås in Sweden. Alingsås hosts and psyche
celebrates the 20th edition of Lights in Alingsås,
a workshop on architectural lighting and
installation, which has helped to rejuvenate the
city through the medium of light. I experienced it
first when I was invited to head a workshop there Top Left: Gardens By The Bay,
in 2009 and have been invited this year as well. Singapore
The educational workshops with the participants Top Right: Tamsui District,
Taiwan
culminate in six light installations in the city, Bottom: Animated
which are thrown open for public viewing with architecture, Hong Kong
PHOTO: JMADDY BAKER/UNSPLASH
PHOTO: JASON GOH /PIXABAY
PHOTO:NEXT VOYAGE /PIXABAY
02/10/19 3:26 PM
 PHOTO: NICOLAI-BERNTSEN/UNSPLASH
Times Square: Media
dominates the street

a grand ceremony at the City Square and are on Light installation at Alingsas,
display for a month. This has helped sensitise Sweden by Kapil Surlakar
people to good lighting practices as well as
hugely bolstered the economics and demographic
dynamics of the city, wherein the profile has
changed from a city inhabited by a largely retired
and ageing population to a vibrant and young city
with new life. The city administration has to be
lauded for its efforts and persistence and belief in
the power of light.

PHOTO: SACHEEN PAI RAIKAR

What are the dynamics that propelled
this success? How does good lighting in
cities contribute positively to growth and
sustenance? Good lighting on its own cannot
be the determinant. However, correct lighting
can be the catalyst in providing a setting or a
direction to activate the other factors that can
collectively work towards achieving the desired
goals. A well-lit urban environment is perceived the system; people who earn also spend. It sets
as safe and thus encourages participation from off a cycle of prosperity that is then up to the
inhabitants. Families, senior citizens, who have inhabitants and the administration to regulate and
their own limitations and need enhanced lighting to exploit for the inherent benefits.
conditions to be at ease, as well as children who Light is life. Light is powerful. It’s an integral
have to be constantly supervised, are encouraged part of your daily routine without you being aware
by well-lit environments. This participation of it. Lack of light can have detrimental effects on
leads to a need for food, entertainment, clothing the human body and psyche. It therefore becomes
etc., which in turn encourages business and imperative to pay attention to how the cities are lit
commerce. This brings investments and job as it is one of the strong determinants of the overall
opportunities to the area. It brings money into well-being of its inhabitants.

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 THE JOY OF CITIES>USA

Mapping San Francisco

Maps by Gayathree Singhal Vinod

T his spread is a series of mappings that helped

me understand the morphology of San
Francisco, one of the most prominent cities
along the west coast of North America, which is
known worldwide as a centre for innovation in
business, technology and digital culture, as well as a
place where art intersects with all three.
Within San Francisco’s 49 square miles,
visitors will find a wide range of film festivals,
art, architecture and design events, comedy,
literary and music festivals, dance festivals
and a myriad of theatre, ballet and other opera
productions. The Pier 24 at Embarcadero Street
houses various exhibitions including the Pilara

BLOCK MORPHOLOGIES AND VARIATIONS

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 GROWTH AND EVOLUTION OF SAN FRANCISCO

THE EMBARCADERO

San Francisco’s
varied urban
form and
neighbourhoods
may be
attributed to
features like
geography, Foundation’s jaw-dropping collection in addition as ‘hopeless’ and ‘lost’ and a place that must be
changing to exhibiting ambitious but accessible shows of avoided at all costs.
historical and contemporary photography. The The footprints of the Gay Rights Movement
housing area, stretching roughly half a mile north of line its streets and so do the footprints of mid-
patterns, Market Street and bounded by the 101 to the west century jazz legends, rock and roll hall-of-famers
transit lines and Montgomery to the east, includes some of the and boxing greats. The Tenderloin, with its mural
and the major most established as well as a few of the hippest covered walls on one side and dingy sidewalks
and most innovative galleries in San Francisco; on the other, remains an area of irreconcilable
earthquakes and it also has some of the best venues for viewing contrasts and confounding mysteries. The
fires that hit it Asian art. As a contrast to these areas, the city Civic Center or the Central Market area of San
back in 1906 also has an area where the homeless and the drug Francisco houses professional opera, symphony
users find refuge: The Tenderloin. It is described and ballet companies. These are located in

Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 43

42-44JOC-SF/gayathree.indd 43 02/10/19 3:50 PM

 THE JOY OF CITIES>USA

SIGNATURE OF THE CITY

A slice of the city depiciting its relation to the terrain

THE MARKET STREET - DISTORT IN THE GRID

historic venues opposite the City Hall; the art

found here is as resplendent as the area’s Beaux
Arts architecture.
San Francisco’s varied urban form and
neighbourhoods may be attributed to features
like geography, changing housing patterns,
transit lines and the major earthquakes and
fires that hit it back in 1906. Its grid pattern,
which seems to be imposed on a city of hills
at the end of a peninsula, generates streets
and neighbourhoods that are divided from one
another in separate valleys across its small area.
These streets and roadways add to the overall
character of the city by means of providing
vistas and open spaces and also determine the
character of growth and development across
the neighbourhoods. Some of its most famous
structures include the Golden Gate Bridge,
Coit Tower and Ferry Building, which stand as
important symbols to the community from the
otherwise dominant pattern of a gridded fabric
stretched across its undulating landscape.

44 | MY LIVEABLE CITY • Oct-Dec 2019

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 URBAN BLUEPRINT>Public Infrastructure
When Art Re-envisions
the City
Art, activism and planning intertwine in unexpected ways to shape our cities.
Jane Tsong suggests ways in which city-makers and artists can work together to
make better urban spaces
A rt is a space of visioning, expressing the
authentic and exploring the utopian.
Artists instigate actions or installations
that surprise, transport, disturb and touch
strangers in vulnerable places. Artists change
public perception of forgotten spaces. Artists
provoke dialogue about difficult issues. But is it
time to rethink the role art can play in a city where
resources have never been distributed equitably,
where developers are favoured over communities,
and where cars are favoured over people? Can art
offer tools to help Los Angeles out of the urban
crises we find ourselves in today?
A healthy city welcomes dialogue and
cultivates creativity
Los Angeles is fragmented by freeways and
channelised waterways. Segregation of race and
45-49UB-jane.indd 45
class continues to be reinforced across many fronts.
Sites for community interaction are few. But this
has not stopped people from expressing themselves
boldly. Graffiti, murals and street art have long
been associated with Latinx culture in Los Angeles,
but its impulse is universal. Graffiti and murals
are assertions of ‘the right to occupy public space’.
When creative people are not engaged by existing
forums, they may instigate their own forum in the
most visible of spaces. City-makers and planners
might ask the artists, “How can we create urban
spaces that openly welcome the expression of such FoLAR clean up on the
creative potential?” Los Angeles River in 2019.
Hundreds of volunteers
participate in yearly river
Tapping into sensory experience to make cleanups organised by Lewis
spaces that feed community life MacAdams’ Friends of the
Los Angeles River, which
“Artists,” James Rojas observes, “begin their began in the context of
inquiry through a sensory experience, which performance art
PHOTOS BY WATERSHED CONSERVATION AUTHORITY
Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 45
02/10/19 3:54 PM
 URBAN BLUEPRINT>Public Infrastructure
George’s L.A. River Commute.
When a US Army Corps of
Engineers biologist found
this satirical performance
on YouTube, she contacted
kayaker George Wolfe
and spearheaded the
collaborative expedition that
would prove the navigability
of the Los Angeles River,
making it eligible for federal
water quality protections
How can we
create urban
spaces that
openly welcome
the expression
of such creative
potential?
46 | MY LIVEABLE CITY • Oct-Dec 2019
45-49UB-jane.indd 46
is how people experience the city.” Rojas
contrasts the methods of artists to those of
planners. “Art venues are designed to engage,
transform and inspire the public by their
nature. Public meetings, on the other hand,
are frequently scheduled at awkward times,
poorly attended, have a rigid agenda and do not
promote creativity.” Rojas ‘Place It!’ participatory
workshops adapt the methods of artists to
engage community members in re-visioning
their own communities. This process involves
storytelling and use of tactile objects that tap into
the associations and memories of community
members: “Sensory experiences of place that
maps, data and other typical planning tools miss.”
Some of Los Angeles’ most evocative public
spaces were designed by Lawrence Halprin, whose
designs for pedestrian-oriented spaces were
informed by participatory workshop methods that
evolved from avant-garde dance practices of the
1960s and ’70s and collaboration with his wife,
dancer Anna Halprin. Following ‘scores’, workshop
participants explored collective responses to built
and natural spaces. Skillful choreography of bodily
experience is undoubtedly one reason Halprin
landscapes feel so attuned to the psyche. Street
life becomes a stage for collective and community
life, reaching toward a democratic ideal of urban
landscapes as places of participatory social action.
Some have accused the methods and projects
Halprin is associated with of catering to the
concerns of privileged classes. Yet, both Halprin’s
and Rojas’ methods suggest how channeling users’
sensory experiences and associations into the
design of urban landscapes can dignify and express
the values and experience of users. Can urban
landscapes that better accommodate community
uses strengthen community values and feed civic
engagement itself?
Artists have changed how cities see public
works infrastructure
‘Percent for Art’ policies in numerous
municipalities require one percent of large
development projects to fund public art.
Involving the artist in the early conceptual phases
of large public works has resulted in numerous
projects that change our understanding of the
role urban infrastructure can play.
In the ’70s, the city of Seattle began including
artists alongside architects and landscape
architects in the conceptual stages of large
construction projects. Artist participation
was unprecedented and led to an occasionally
chaotic process. But the results demonstrated
that the inclusion of artists could turn an
unpopular project into a successful place that was
PHOTO: ADAM SMIGIELSKI/UNSPLASH
embraced by the community. This set the stage
for more groundbreaking artist involvement in
infrastructure, such as Phoenix’s 27th Avenue
Solid Waste Management Facility in the 1990s,
where artists took the lead in re-designing an
entire waste processing plant, transforming it
to allow the public to observe every stage of
processing an entire city’s waste stream. The
public works department supported the idea that
making visible a process which is usually ‘out of
sight, out of mind’, might change public attitudes
toward the creation of waste.
Public art has pioneered the integration of
storm water infrastructure with transformative
experiences in the landscape. Herbert Bayer’s
Mill Creek Canyon Earthworks (1982) is a
2.5-acre landform, which reveals the rising and
falling of moisture levels through wet and dry
times. Lorna Jordan’s Waterworks Gardens
(1990-96) is a series of storm water treatment
pools set into a symbology-laden landscape.
Waterworks Gardens was featured on the cover of
02/10/19 3:55 PM
 Landscape Architecture magazine. These examples
are both from the Seattle area.
Artworks can pioneer technical processes.
What’s more, artists have demonstrated that
public infrastructure can be a subject worthy
of poetry and contemplation. Such ambitious
concepts can be realised when there is a
strong collaboration between artists, public art
administrators, engineers and municipal staff.
Recruiting artists to develop out-of-the-box
approaches to complex problems
How we design cities to accommodate a
growing population will shape the spirit of our
communities.
Through its Arts Commission, Los Angeles
County has begun hiring artists as ‘creative
strategists.’ Selected artists spend a year in
residence with county staff to develop and
45-49UB-jane.indd 47
implement ‘innovative approaches to social Graffiti and murals are
challenges’, which are apt to include community assertions of the ‘right to
occupy public space.’
engagement as well as creative experiences in the Mexico-Tenochtitlan: ‘A
community. Currently the participating county Sequence of Time and
departments are: Mental Health, Parks and Culture’ by the Quetzalcoatl
Mural Project (1996) in
Recreation and Public Health. Highland Park, was the focus
The proposal to outsource visioning around of a recent restoration.
Artists: Andy Ledesma, John
our region’s challenges taps the aspirations of ‘Zender’ Estrada, Anthony
artists for large-scale change making. Yet, if artists Ortega, Isabel Martinez,
are to rise to the role of making lasting change, Oscar De Leon, Jesse Silva,
Jerry Ortega, Ralph Corona,
they also need to transcend the limitations of Jaime and Dominic Ochoa;
prevailing art practices that have been influenced with Asylum, Fernando
by the commercial art world, which incentivise Bustos, John Duran and
Mario Mencias
the production of artistic entertainment designed
for short attention spans. To serve communities,
artists must understand the lived experiences
of constituents and then cultivate allies who
understand processes of institutional change.
Moreover, they must be ambitious in their vision.
Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 47
02/10/19 3:56 PM
 URBAN BLUEPRINT>Public Infrastructure
Letitia Fernandez Ivins, the public art professional
who enabled the commissioning and creation of
Del Aire Public Fruit Park, says: “We need artists
who will take the lead in pushing boundaries,
proposing work that will stretch our constituency’s
vision of what artwork can be and do.”
James Rojas observes that planners and
artists have traditionally played different roles
in the public eye. Held to rigid expectations,
planners tend to be risk averse: “The public likes
to be tickled by artists, but not by planners!” Yet
planners understand codes, economics and the
mechanisms of systemic change. Collaboration
between planners and artists would allow
outsourcing risk to artists. Then the planners and
municipalities might seek to leverage the most
successful discoveries in their own practice.
Artists create spaces whose legal status allows
unusual things to happen
The legal status particular to ‘art’ offers a space
in which certain kinds of actions can legally be
permissible that might not be possible otherwise.
In this way, art may be a testing ground for
unconventional approaches. Art’s legal status
has been used to protect the public’s interest (or
provoke contemplation).
In 2012, art collective Fallen Fruit and the
Los Angeles County Arts Commission leveraged
the legal status of ‘art’ to allow the planting of
public fruit trees in the artwork, ‘Del Aire Public
Fruit Park.’ Risk-averse government staff had
been concerned that fruit trees in a public setting
could create a liability, attracting vandals, pests
or dropping slippery fruit. But when fruit trees
were determined to be the very material of the
artwork, the planting was permitted.
Fallen Fruit is no stranger to playing with
the law. The collaborative has investigated the
legality of who can pick fruit that overhangs
sidewalk space (there is no clear rule). Making
maps of fruit trees which may fairly be harvested
by the public playfully exploits this ambiguity and
asks the question, what feels most ethical and
community-minded in this legal grey area?
Though he has not called it an artwork, artist
and activist Steve Appleton bought several acres
of land that happens to be situated inside the
Los Angeles River itself. Appleton’s stewardship
of this land and his intimate observation of
its ecology contrasts to the grandiose scale of
planning and investment that this stretch of the
river has attracted. Appleton hopes his status
as a landowner will allow him a stronger voice
when proposed development threatens to impact
his river property. Appleton’s purchase brings to
mind Canadian artist Peter von Tiesenhausen’s
use of the legal status of art to stymy the progress
of oil pipeline developers. In the 1990s, the
48 | MY LIVEABLE CITY • Oct-Dec 2019
45-49UB-jane.indd 48
artist claimed copyright over his own 800-
acre property, giving it the status of inviolable
cultural property and turning any disturbance
of it into copyright infringement. This forced
pipeline developers to reroute their line around
his property. Though this artwork originated
as a protest against the aggressive tactics of
developers, the declaration of land as an artwork
is consistent with the artist’s environmentally-
minded work.
Art is the origin of Los Angeles’ most dramatic
infrastructure project in progress
The revitalisation of the Los Angeles River began as
an outrageous declaration by poet Lewis MacAdams
in the context of performance art. In those days,
the river was a forgotten and derelict space, an
‘urban hell’ avoided by most. Cutting a fence to gain
access, MacAdams and his fellow artists asked the
river if they could speak for it within the human
realm, and it did not answer. This was the start of
Friends of the Los Angeles River.
Starting as a handful of artist-believers
working to protect the river’s interests, Friends
of the Los Angeles River (FoLAR) grew into a
grassroots movement and then a robust nonprofit,
in turn influencing the county, and then the city,
to create Master Plans for the river. FoLAR has
been central in catalysing the work of activists,
artists, environmentalists, politicians, engineers,
designers, scientists and other urban change
makers around the river. Though the dream of
Los Angeles River revitalisation has grown beyond
the original performance artwork to become a
lightning rod for private investment and more
than one billion dollars of federal funding,
and has provoked a county-wide debate about
environmental and economic equity, MacAdams’
poetry about the river (he refers to it as ‘she’)
continues to be invoked as a guiding vision.
A second quixotic creative gesture played
a role in securing legal protection for the Los
Angeles River and its tributaries. A satirical
YouTube performance shows a suited man
kayaking in the Los Angeles River to avoid
freeway congestion. Kayaker George Wolfe is
the founder of LaLa Times (‘Everything Absurd
Under the Sun!’). Heather Wylie, of the US Public art has
Army Corps of Engineers, found his video when pioneered the
searching for any evidence one could boat integration of
down the Los Angeles River. Proving the river’s
‘navigability’ would make it eligible for federal storm water
water quality protections. Wylie and Wolfe infrastructure
organised a team to kayak the 51-mile river over with
three long days, documenting the entire feat on
film. Not only did the team successfully ensure
transformative
the entire river and its tributaries would be experiences in
eligible for protection, but they changed public the landscape
perception of the river.
02/10/19 3:57 PM

Southeast Los Angeles
(SELA) Arts Festival – The
arts festival is organised by
the Speaker’s office to bring
the people of SELA into the
river channel to start the
dialogue about how the river
revitalisation will affect their
communities
45-49UB-jane.indd 49
Can the arts help cultivate equity along the
Lower Los Angeles River?
The municipalities of Southeast Los Angeles
(SELA) along the Lower Los Angeles River are
exposed to high rates of environmental pollution
and related health risks. Due to systemic racism
over the last century, blacks, Latinx, and Asians
could only buy housing in areas like SELA, which
happened to be adjacent to areas zoned for
industry where white people did not want to live.
The communities of SELA have been subjected
to, rather than active participants in, decisions
made by planners.
Today, in SELA, the arts are being recognised
for their power in cultivating public engagement.
Local voices must be encouraged and local
participation must occur if river revitalisation
can be successful. To encourage constituents
to visit the river channel and to see how a
revitalised river might bring communities
together, Anthony Rendon’s office has sponsored
an arts festival celebrating the culture of
SELA. Rendon, Speaker of the California State
Assembly, introduced the bill that resulted in
the creation of the Lower Los Angeles River
Revitalisation Plan.
The SELA arts festival showcases local music,
art, poetry readings, community theatre, graffiti
art, artisans, folklore and food. Rendon says, “For
folks in this community to have an art event of
their own making in their own community, that’s
what this event is about.” All this is deliberately
situated within the vast river channel itself, a
starting place for community visioning.
Los Angeles needs radical creative visioning
Los Angeles is in the midst of a crisis. The
region’s rivers, sidewalks and alleys are filled
with people who cannot afford housing. Regional
policies intended to create sustainable cities, by
increasing density around public transit centres,
PHOTOS: JANE TSONG
also threaten to displace long term residents.
Renters are especially vulnerable to displacement,
making up 80% of the population of some
municipalities. In South Los Angeles, 45% of
800 residents surveyed believed they would
be forced to move within the next five years
due to the impact of development in their own
neighbourhoods. Artist and activist John Urquiza,
who works on raising awareness and resisting
displacement in communities states, “What
communities need right now is equity, it is not an
aesthetic or a planning exercise.”
The intention of community engagement
is to nurture public participation so that more
may powerfully advocate their needs and shape
the changes to come. Artist and activist Robbie
Herbst observes that “great cities are defined by
citizen-led culture and policy.”
‘Citizen-led’ means everyone may lead,
regardless of title, background, language, or field.
Camilo Cruz, whose art practice evolves parallel
to his work in criminal justice, suggests that
in this critical time, radical creativity must not
be limited to those who think of themselves as
artists, but that “all need to think of themselves
as ‘artists’ so that we fulfill our destiny of hopeful
evolution, rather than ignoble devolution.”
Artists instigate change by expressing
authenticity, beauty, humanity, and humor;
Planners guide change by leveraging regulations,
data, economics and vision. The kind of equitable
planning needed now in Los Angeles, however,
would cultivate a wider range of participants
to tap into their own knowledge and creative
expression to become city-makers themselves.
The most visionary changes to come may be
initiated by people who do not yet consider
themselves either ‘planners’ or ‘artists’. But it is up
to today’s planners and artists to open doors for
such evolution to occur. The future liveability of
our city depends on it.
Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 49
02/10/19 3:58 PM
 URBAN BLUEPRINT>India
Transformation Through Art
Without art, a city would be joyless. Pritha Sardessai shows us how Goa has benefitted from
world class art festivals
W hen one mentions art in the city,
what comes to mind is a sculpture or
an installation on a traffic island, a
mural on a tall building or graffiti on walls. Most
often it is the work of the local artists celebrating
some figure, some custom or some moment in
the history of the land. Sometimes it is a reputed
artist from another place who is commissioned
to design an artwork for a particular city. In
most cases, art remains the domain of a few: the
‘qualified’ artists.
However, when the community draws about
their land, their people, their traditions and all
things dear to them, it becomes a form of collective
expression of their ideas and aspirations. And art
becomes a process, not just a product!
I would like to share two cases – both in the
state of Goa in India – both of which happened
independently in the same year. An exercise in
50 | MY LIVEABLE CITY • Oct-Dec 2019
50-54UB-transformingart/pritha.indd 50
which art became of the people, by the people
and for the people.
The first one is called ‘Nhoi - The Big
River Draw’ a project by the Bookworm Trust.
When the
community
draws about
Bookworm is a library-based learning centre their land, their
in Goa with the primary focus on developing people, their
reading habits in children. It believes that reading
is made more enjoyable when accompanied traditions and
by activities like drawing and crafts. It runs an all things dear
outreach programme in underprivileged areas to them, it
and a more formal intervention programme by
collaborating with a number of schools across
becomes a form
the state of Goa. The Trust conducts courses to of collective
train manpower for libraries across the state and expression
the rest of the country, with the aim to make
libraries more inviting and hence impact the
reading culture among young people. It has been
organising a public ‘read aloud’ programme every
year in open parks where children from many
02/10/19 3:59 PM

FACING PAGE-
Left: An octogenarian finds
her story in the art work
Right: The process begins,
enthusiastic participants
start drawing
THIS PAGE-
Left: Street art in the narrow
lanes of Panaji’s Latin
Quarter makes excellent
photo opportunities for
fashionistas
Right: A multi-layered
installation of the charpai
provides relaxing moments
for the young and the old; at
the art park in Campal
50-54UB-transformingart/pritha.indd 51
schools come together to read and to draw.
This community drawing project was
conceived recognising drawing as a medium
to document the stories of the people and as
an effective platform of social communication.
Leveraging on its ability to connect with various
communities, Bookworm undertook this
collaborative exercise. Especially in the light of
how libraries are being ignored in the present
times, it became critical to merge the ideas of
drawing and a library. Bookworm collaborated with
13 libraries spread over numerous districts of Goa.
The project was guided by Elizabeth Kemp,
a Scottish community artist who spends her time
between Scotland and India, and possesses a
tremendous ability to connect with large groups
of people. Rhea D’souza, a young architect,
passionate about Goa, the natural wealth of
the land and the culture of its people, was the
main coordinator.
To provide a focus to the project, it was
unanimously decided to work with ‘river’ as
the theme. With rivers being threatened by
pollution, neighbouring states contesting
for waters from the rivers and policy makers
talking about ‘nationalisation’ of rivers, there
could not have been a more appropriate topic
to draw the crowds in, to draw.
And so the project was called ‘Nhoi: the Goa
River Draw’, nhoi being the word for river in the
local Konkani language. The 13 libraries chosen
were state run libraries of the villages located
along the River Mandovi and its tributaries. At
a workshop held at Panjim’s Central Library,
the respective librarians were sensitised to the
concept and philosophy of this project. Over
nine months spanning from March to November
of 2018, the project ran through 13 different
locations, interacting with a cross section of
people, the young and the old, all eager to draw.
On the designated day, the people from the
community came to their library and were made
to sit around a cartridge paper roll of around six
metres in length and 90 centimetres in width.
Provided with soft chalk and oil pastels, they
drew. It was a collective expression of their
feelings about their river; memories, concerns,
aspirations and much more. As the people
mapped their river, for almost six hours, stories
emerged, dialogue developed and social bonding
happened through the medium of art and creativity.
More than 500 people across age groups,
gender and educational qualifications
participated in these in situ workshops. These are
Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 51
02/10/19 4:00 PM
 URBAN BLUEPRINT>India
the people whose access to art is usually limited.
The project provided them with a creative and
social space where they could participate in the
company of friends, family and neighbours. It
bust the myth that art was the domain of only
a few. It encouraged dialogue; from the local
dialects, lost and forgotten words also emerged.
What was produced was indeed a magnum
opus. Eighty metres in length, it is the single
largest collaborative drawing in India. An
expression of the collective memory of the
people, it celebrates the people’s connect with
their river. A short film and a work book have
been put together to document the making of
‘Nhoi’. Interviews with the participants reveal the
impact the project has had on them.
The project took its inspiration from the ‘Big
Draw’, a UK based organisation. The Big Draw
is one of the world’s largest drawing festivals
with the goal of promoting visual literacy and
art education. It is held by public organisations
like museums, schools, galleries, community
centres or by enthusiastic citizens in open spaces
52 | MY LIVEABLE CITY • Oct-Dec 2019
50-54UB-transformingart/pritha.indd 52
Top: A jubiliant group of
people after the completion
of a collaborative art exercise
Bottom: A preview of two
of the Nhoi panels at
Serendipity Art Festival 2018
in Panaji, Goa
accessible to the general public. Through ‘Nhoi
- The Big River Draw’, the idea has found its
ground in India. Being an open-ended format,
it can be adopted in any other place in Goa, or
the rest of the country, to map a river or to draw
anything else.
‘Nhoi’ got an opportunity to showcase itself in
a preview at the Serendipity Arts Festival held in
December 2018 in Panaji, Goa. Two of the ‘Nhoi’
panels were exhibited as a part of the ‘Panjim 175’
exhibit at the old PWD Complex along the Ourem
creek. On a beautiful riverside setting, under the
bridge, the visitors were given an opportunity to
draw their river, by the river. The short film about
the project ran continuously for the people to
watch.
But now it waits for the opportunity to show
itself in entirety. After the Big Draw, ‘Nhoi’ looks
forward to the Big Reveal. In the next edition of
the Serendipity Arts Festival to be held in Goa in
December 2019, 80 metres of community art will
tell a story; the story of a few hundred people and
their river.
02/10/19 4:00 PM
 The other story…
Date: 19th December 2018, the 58th anniversary
of Goan Liberation
Venue: Panjim 175, Old PWD Complex, Panaji, Goa
Eighty-three-year-old Sharada Sawaikar,
freedom fighter and a stalwart of the Goan
liberation movement visits the art venue where
an art exhibit by the young Goan artist Chaitali
Morajkar is set in the backdrop of stories around
liberation of several women who had lived to see
the day. Sharada’s was one of them. A piece of
art drawn on multiple panels, where each panel
is a hand-written story. It’s poignant that on this
very day that marks the anniversary of liberation
she visits a place, which during her time stood
as an office for public works. For many years
this structure of modest proportion built on the
banks of the mangrove-lined Ourem creek has
been lying vacant, vulnerable to the whims of
the government, which might one day decide
that a ‘modern’ office building is the need of the
day. During the week, the venue plays host to
a number of these octogenarian women whose
stories make up this exhibit, and to hundreds of
other citizens, young and old. They’re all happy
that this old structure in the city has found a
voice and that many stories close to the hearts of
our people are being written and read.
The venue was named ‘Panjim 175’ since
it was the year of the city’s 175th anniversary.
Brilliantly curated by writer Vivek Menezes and
architect Swati Salgaocar, this venue engaged
the talent of local artists each interpreting in
their own style, the history of the city and its
50-54UB-transformingart/pritha.indd 53
people, its legends and lore. The floor and walls Art festivals
of this abandoned structure came alive with
strokes of colour, the mud of the land, the faces
such as these
of our people, the grains of its harvest and verses bring a gust of
of its poets. Besides the art work, enlightening creative energy
talks, theatre and musical renditions infused into the city
more energy in these spaces. During the late
evenings the bridge and the mangroves were
used as a magical backdrop for some scintillating
performances by the country’s acclaimed artists.
This art venue was just a part of a much
larger picture: the Serendipity Arts Festival held
across various impressive venues in the city of
Panaji. This festival is an outreach event of the
Serendipity Arts Foundation, a Munjal initiative
for creativity. Set over a period of eight days,
it is held annually since December 2016, this
edition being the third. The festival is a non-
profit, multi-disciplinary art event curated by a
panel of eminent artists and institutional figures
across the visual, performance and culinary
world. A cultural project, which hopes to affect
positive change in the arts in India, it brings to
the city multiple exhibitions, performances and
immersive art experiences.
For an event of this nature and scale, Panaji
seems to be an appropriate choice. The mixed
cultural ethos of the state, especially at a time
when the city is decked up for the joyous
Christmas season, provides the perfect backdrop
for the festival. A charming little city, it boasts
some monumental buildings that shaped it under
the Portuguese administration along with a
quaint Latin residential quarter called Fontainhas.
An icebreaking game before
the actual drawing begins, to
familiarise the participants
with one another
Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 53
02/10/19 4:01 PM
 URBAN BLUEPRINT>India
Blank walls of unused
structures come alive with
art, poetry and music
The oldest neighbourhood of the city, the Adil
Shah Palace, a pre-Portuguese structure, was
originally the summer palace of the last Muslim
commander of this region who was dethroned
by the Portuguese in 1510. Strategically located
by the river Mandovi, this building, over five
centuries, has played various roles and undergone
much architectural transformation. After the
government secretariat moved out of it a few
years ago, it was refurbished as an avante garde
exhibition space.
The other premier location in the city is
the Old Goa Medical College Complex. Built
in 1842 by the Portuguese administration as
the Escola Medico Cirurgica da Goa, it served
as the medical school and general hospital till
the 1990s when the institution moved to a
modern complex outside Panaji. An elegantly
proportioned structure standing majestically
along the river, it is the permanent venue for
the International Film Festival of India held in
November every year. But, like the Adil Shah
Palace, it is underutilised during the rest of the
year. These two locations were the main venues
for the Serendipity Arts Festival and have hosted
some splendidly curated exhibits of visual
art, craft and photography by internationally
acclaimed artists.
The open-air art park along the riverfront,
served as the place for a more relaxed experience
54 | MY LIVEABLE CITY • Oct-Dec 2019
50-54UB-transformingart/pritha.indd 54
ALL PHOTOS: AUTHOR
and hosted a food court. A stage, specially set up
on an open ground, entertained the public with
some terrific musical performances creating
memories for a lifetime.
Art festivals such as these bring a gust
of creative energy into the city. Besides the
artists who find an opportunity, the citizens
find entertainment and budding talent finds
inspiration. Through the language of art,
education happens. Equally gratifying is the fact
that it revives forgotten spaces, finding myriad
opportunities and unleashing public imagination.
Putting together such an event is no mean
feat. A dedicated team works round the year
battling every hurdle in the way of curatorial
detailing and city permissions. The foundation
intends to support, promote and create
platforms for creativity and provide the wider
public with a unique source of contemporary
art and culture. The programmes are designed
and initiated through collaborations and
creative partners across a multitude of fields
and are aimed at using the arts as a means
to impact education, social initiatives and
community development with a strong focus on
interdisciplinarity.
Both the above cases strongly establish the
fact that art is definitely a transformative force
in community building and city making. Art is a
social catalyst, not just an aesthetic one.
02/10/19 4:02 PM
 URBAN BLUEPRINT>Mumbai Musings
The Street as an
Art Canvas
Saylee Soundalgekar paints a picture of an Indian city street that is in itself a
work of abstract art
C onstructed in the 16th century AD, the
Surat Fort in Gujarat, India, is one of the
oldest forts and has been host to visitors
from all over the globe. Built by the Sultan of
Ahmedabad, Mahmood III, it was taken care of
by a Turkish soldier, Safi Agha, later captured
by Emperor Akbar and seized by Siddi Jauhar.
This was followed by the rule of the English and
the Moorish armies. I was fortunate to visit this
restored fort recently and it was amazing to see
all the art forms that were collected, accepted,
retained and glorified: British barracks, ancient
hand-drawn maps of their travels by the Italians,
the Dutch-style furniture replicas, the courts
and the British tea rooms. The fort, even today,
is welcoming to those who come and celebrate
its existence. A riot of cultures overlapping one
another have created a fabric so intricately woven
that loosening one of the knots would dissipate its
beauty. The fort is but a replica of Indian culture.
Indian cities, although developing at a super rapid
55-57UB-saylee New.indd 55
pace, are inclusive. They are a cultural reflection of
the past and they carry this syntax into the present.
What makes an Indian city inclusive? Let us
build an image of any Indian city: Mercedes cars
run parallel to vegetable carts, a cow finds its
way out of the mob that has rushed out from a
railway station, a school child on a bicycle passes
a stray dog and hawkers sell anklets and spices
at the edge of the street. This paints a picture,
completely opposite to the one in European cities
like Berlin and Geneva where the cars stop for
the pedestrians to cross, the animals are happily
tucked in their barn-yards, the heavy vehicles
follow a time-table and a lane on a highway
as well as public market streets are strictly
pedestrianised. Being a resident of Mumbai for
the past two decades, I believe, a common man’s
life in Indian cities is about negotiated boundaries
and existence through mutual consent, which
makes them inclusive. They cannot be named
orderly, but, display an organised chaos; they
Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 55
02/10/19 4:05 PM
 URBAN BLUEPRINT>Mumbai Musings
are not systematic, but are layered in complex
patterns; they are not necessarily aesthetically
appealing, but could be pronounced beautiful
by virtue of their functionality. For an Indian
city, art and income are conjugal. Art is not only
the result of heavy expenditure or upheaval of
passion leading to angry strokes on the canvas,
nor is it only displayed in galleries or performed
in theatres.
“A great artist is a simplifier”- Vincent Van Gogh
Art in an Indian city is what is painted
on railway stations to avoid deceptive
advertisements, it is the sandcastles at Girgaum
Chowpatty (the beach), it is the cane basket
weavers’ display along a few traffic islands.
The city of Mumbai hunts for rhythm in the
moving train, in the songs of the dabbawalas
(the dabbawalas constitute a lunchbox delivery
and return system that delivers hot lunches
from homes and restaurants to people at work in
India, especially in Mumbai), the rains tapping
on the windshields in the traffic, in the roar of
the cheer of gully cricket and the bells hung at
the edge of a sugarcane juice machine. It is the
music of the visually challenged flute seller who
plays typical Bollywood tunes to sell more than
10 sizes of flutes. It is an art form that reaches out
to the majority. It is art that is as sensorial as it’s
essential and complementary for livelihood.
As cartloads of vegetables arrive in a truck
at the break of dawn, the seller unloads it
enthusiastically. He separates the spoilt ones from
56 | MY LIVEABLE CITY • Oct-Dec 2019
55-57UB-saylee New.indd 56
the fresh and sprays water on them to make them The sale of fi e
appear lively. He arranges the cauliflower, brinjal,
tomatoes and the spinach as per colour and form.
apples would
The colours in the hierarchy have a definite change the
spatial sequence. He arranges them in a way that arrangement
the customer’s eye moves up and down in a linked creating a
sequence, eventually joining the dots. He makes
sure that the parking space right in front of his completely new
stall is vacant and hails his potential customers. piece of art
As the customer checks the spinach for texture,
colour and scent, he waits expectantly and
silently prays that the customer won’t bargain.
Every shopkeeper is an artist. The presence of
red, green and brown chillies is noticeable by the
pungent scent emanating from the jute bags.
Where art and income are inseparable,
the spatial and urban approach of art is
distinguishable from the one offered by other
research fields such as the sociology of art or
art history. The imitation jewellery shop owner
locates himself right beside the sari shop. He
makes sure that the elegant ones form the face
of the shop; little girls must find their comfort
zone with vibrant colours and anime characters
as well. At Colaba Causeway, a street full of
gypsy jewellery and other fashion items, the
stall with the best arrangements draws the
maximum customers. It is a reflection of the
social, geographical, historical and cultural
image of the place. The proportions of the stall
to the number of people and the produce to be
sold highlights the organic development of the
02/10/19 4:05 PM
 Indian villages. It grows in no pre-determined
queue; social distances in the market are gradually
developed. The proximity allows the sellers to shout
optimal prices to grab the attention of passers-by
during peak hours. In the afternoons, with a low
density of customers, it allows for a joint lunch with
conversation about politics and family life. After
an afternoon siesta, the display changes yet again
for the evening. The working class, leaving their
offices, find glee in the colours, shapes and sizes of
products and sounds that draw their gaze.
Art for income is ephemeral and invites no
attachment with the outcome. One would then ask,
if art and its fulfilment would end with the motive
of earning income. For a fruit-seller, the sale of five
apples would change the arrangement creating a
completely new piece of art. This cycle is repeated
regularly as if it were a ritual for public spaces. New
compositions are made, regularly. They evolve,
grow, alter as the sun sets as if it were a biological
clock set by humans! The longevity of each piece of
art is varied and is well accepted by these artisans.
Festivals augment creativity. Rangoli, a
traditional Hindu art form, is floor art for
Diwali. Displayed outside shops and homes as a
sign of auspiciousness, the vibrant patterns are
an example of inclusive chaos yet again. What
makes this art inclusive? Conceptualised by one,
drawn by the other, coloured by a third person,
the rangoli does not lose its identity, nor its holy
importance. The hawkers with rangoli colours
roll their handcarts along the streets with more
than a dozen of the powdered colours. The tiny
heaps with glitter on top and pre-designed plastic
moulds disclose a picture of what the rangoli
55-57UB-saylee New.indd 57
might look like that evening.
For India, this streetscape scenario is recurring.
It is easy to spot these streets near railway stations,
outside malls, at the urban square and outside large
housing complexes. The patterns are true for almost
all cities and are inherited. Step out of the modern
gated, elegant communities, and the presence of
these streets leaves every customer satisfied with
familiarity. It carries a warmth that forms the face of
Indian cities.
The natural forms of a river, forest, volcano
observe no order and are yet beautiful. Likewise,
the sounds of a cow mooing, cycle bells tingling,
Mercedes wheels rolling and the artisans –
potters, vegetable sellers, street food hawkers
– form an artistic composition by themselves.
The city, with a number infinite such streets
is a mosaic of cultures by itself. It unites the
professionals, artisans, craftsmen across income
groups, religions, languages and physical barriers.
It renders the city colourful and playful against
the mundane routine of 9 to 5 jobs. It gives
women a reason to gather and shop together,
it allows for deeper family relations where this
sensorial art display is a collective effort for
sustenance, it encourages employment and tickles
the creative corner of every citizen. They overlap
the concepts of comfort zones, neighbourhood
intimacy, outdoor rooms and streets as playscapes
with culture and people. It is what defines the
Indian city and its ‘organised chaos’. This art form
is liberal, it evolves with time and generations,
generates income and utilises resources optimally.
It is hence sustainable, both socially and
economically.
Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 57
02/10/19 4:06 PM
 URBAN BLUEPRINT>India

Art and Culture as Generators

of Urban Redevelopment
Shyam Khandekar describes how art and culture are energising the
redevelopment of an old industrial estate in Vadodara

THE HISTORY plot is cut into two halves by a major city road Alembic City
Alembic, a company over 110 years old, started running roughly north-south; on the east side of
with humble beginnings to manufacture the site there are railway lines, which are used to
has grown into
pharmaceutical products in the city of Vadodara. service the industrial complex. a mixed-use
In over a century the company has grown Alembic City has grown into a mixed-use complex
into one of the largest players in the field of
pharmaceuticals in India and also exports its
pharmaceutical products to many destinations
around the world. Its site of 72 ha., which initially
lay on the outskirts of the city, is now centrally
located. Over the decades, while a large part of the
site was deployed to house industrial production
of pharmaceutical products (and glass to bottle the Left: A view of the earliest
pharmaceutical products in), much of the rest of Alembic Factory
the site was used for offices and research facilities Bottom: An aerial view of the
for the company, quarters for its staff and several industrial part of Alembic
other amenities like a hospital, a school and City with all the production
facilities concentrated on
cricket playgrounds. Many of these amenities are the eastern flank along the
also open to other citizens of the city. The Alembic railway line

Street
transformation
projects must
be understood
as strategic
economic
investments

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 complex, wherein a major part of the eastern side
of the plot is used for industrial production. The
rest of the site is used for other urban functions
and some parts are still empty or relatively under-
utilised. Over the decades, many parts of the site
have become green due to the growth of large
banyan trees (Vad in Gujarati), which have given
the city of Vadodara its name.
Nearly a decade ago, with the increase in the
scale of production, Alembic decided that the time
had come to move the industrial production out of
what in the meantime had become a very central
and urban site to a brand new factory outside the
city of Vadodara.
In 2016, I was asked to help design a vision
for the redevelopment of Alembic City with
a view to the impending displacement of the
4 for the incremental redevelopment
3 2
58-63UB-alembic/shyam.indd 59
industrial production unit from its original site. The existing
This article describes in short how the vision aims
to redevelop the new Alembic City, building on
rich plantation
the character of the 100-year-old history of the of trees is
site. Further, it explains how in the multi-polar retained as far
redevelopment model, which is being used to as possible
create the new Alembic City, in the old industrial
part, art and culture are being used as generators
of the new urban form.
THE VISION FOR REDEVELOPMENT
The redevelopment of the Alembic site is
visualised as an incremental process in which
this essentially industrial site is slowly converted
into a mixed-use urban quarter with residences,
offices, research facilities and places for art and
culture, leisure and entertainment.
4 1
Aerial sketch from The Vision
Document showing the strategy
of Alembic City. The industrial
areas now being regenerated into a
series of public spaces devoted to
Art, Culture and Leisure are at the
bottom left of the sketch.
LEGEND
1 Gorwa Road
2 Railway Line
3 Industrial area now converted
into an activity court
4 Landscaped pedestrian areas in
different quarters
5 Central Avenue
Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 59
02/10/19 4:14 PM
 URBAN BLUEPRINT>India

Schematic plan for the redevelopment of an industrial courtyard. The Museum and Art Studios are already in place

The urban amenities already existing, such

as the hospital and the school, are retained
as is the central office of Alembic and its
research facilities. What creates the space for
redevelopment is the relocation of the industrial
production facilities and the quarters for the staff
working in the industrial units created nearly 50
years ago.
In the vision document, the existing Central
Avenue (at right angles to Gorwa Road) is retained
but redesigned with broad pedestrian spaces and
landscape. New elements of Alembic City are the
gently curved axes of movement: from north to
south, which connect the areas on the two sides of
the Central Avenue. The existing rich plantation of
trees is retained as far as possible, making the new
city a great place to live in.
The structure of the new urban quarters is
built along a series of landscaped public spaces INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE AS INSPIRATION Recent aerial photo showing
the industrial area that
and parks that give pedestrians very good The eastern part of the site contained hard- became available for
connectivity throughout new Alembic City. The core production facilities and had mainly redevelopment
redevelopment is seen as a multi-nodal and large-scale industrial buildings and artifacts.
incremental process with, broadly speaking, The atmosphere there is distinctly industrial,
residential development in the western part, being determined by the existence of chimneys
commercial projects and amenities in the and tanks, pipes and industrial artefacts in an
central part and culture and art, and leisure urbanscape of large-scale industrial buildings.
and entertainment in the industrial zone in the The redevelopment strategy is based on seeing
eastern part of the site. this industrial heritage as an asset and using the

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 Aerial sketch of the industrial court. The circular podium with steps is formed by reusing an industrial concrete tank

The tanks used for industrial production have now been exposed and form a sculptural backdrop to new activities of art and culture

Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 61

58-63UB-alembic/shyam.indd 61 02/10/19 4:18 PM

 URBAN BLUEPRINT>India

Left: Landscaping work under

progress

Bottom: The dilapidated

structures have been converted
into a museum and an art studio

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 IMPORTANT ROLE
OF THE CLIENT

Alembic Industries
started in Vadodara in
1907. Mr. Raj Mitra
Amin was one of the
original founders of the
company and as the
company developed
and grew into one of
the most respected
industrial companies
in India, the Amin
family has been at
its helm through
successive generations.
Besides their interest
in the industrial
activities of the
company, the family
has also been a great
supporter of culture
and art in its broadest
sense. The fact that
Vadodara itself has
had a heritage of art
through its well-known
Department of Art at
the M.S. University of
Baroda has provided
a fertile ground for
the encouragement
of culture and art by
the family. Urban
development such
as described in this
article is only possible
with the support of a
client who appreciates
Art and Culture as an
intrinsic part of urban
development.

Art and culture activities in the industrial precinct

Acknowledgements:
Urban redevelopment of this
magnitude is only possible
large scale of its original development to create Creative programming has been used in when the urban designers
pedestrian precincts for art, culture, leisure and the last year to hold art, music and cultural ICONS/NL could work with
entertainment. festivals. Some were held within the renovated and count on the support
In the first phase of the redevelopment of this buildings and others in the series of open of the design team of the
eastern node, the more than 100 year old dilapidated spaces and courtyards. client Alembic Real Estate
and the oldest industrial structure in Alembic City The initiation of the Industrial Courtyard and landscape architects
has been converted into a museum and art-studios as a destination for Art and Culture has led to Lanarch. Within ICONS/
for young, budding artists. This renovated building a growing interest among other entrepreneurs NL’s urban design guidelines
forms part of an industrial court and has a podium of the region to locate their activities around the architectural design of
at its centre to allow for performance of music or it. In the coming years, this industrial area separate buildings is being
other shows. Interestingly, the podium itself has of historic importance to the city of Vadodara done by different architects
been created by simply capping an old industrial promises to transform itself into a cultural such as Karan Grover &
concrete tank that lay unused. destination. Associates and Note D.

Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 63

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 URBAN BLUEPRINT>Cherishing Heritage

The Art of Conserving

Indian Cities
Poonam Verma Mascarenhas shares tips on how the old and the new can co-exist

T he earliest presence of humans on the

Indian Subcontinent dates back 100,000
years, beginning at the World Heritage
Site of the Bhimbetka cave dwellings whose real
significance was discovered only in the 1970s.
Several building manuals such as the Vastu-
Sastras have existed on the art of building since
ancient times. Medieval India saw subsequent
centuries of demolition and material reuse for new
construction. Additionally, patterns of assimilation,
appropriation, adaptation, adoption and fusion have
continued to shape the built environment through
the subsequent Mughal and Colonial periods. Thus,
comprehending Indian traditional architecture
requires prismatic vision. The subcontinent is a
memory bank interpreted differently by voyagers,
merchants, invaders and colonists.
‘Preservation’ is a colonial construct
embedded in the Archaeological Survey
of India’s (ASI) stance with regards to the
caretaking of monuments; the formation of
States and the State archaeology departments
came much later and may have inherited the
list of monuments from ASI. However, more
than six decades later, for each Indian city to
retain its uniqueness remains a dream. This
essay hopes to address the complexity and range
of site-specific solutions and make a case for an
urgent shift in the development model of our
unique cities.
of the Rajasthan State Department of
Archaeology and Museums (SDoA). However,
no records were available. So while the team
worked on conservation plans, they also had
to initiate the process of determining the
methodology of different traditional practices
to conserve the sites.
This challenge was overcome by identifying
a master craftsman to help with materiality
and finishing issues. This collaboration of a
conservation architect, civil engineer and
master craftsman resulted in documenting
specifications, methodology and rates of ‘Jaipur
practice’ traditional works employing traditional
materials such as lime, sand, surkhi and many
additives in processing. It, however, took a year
to negotiate the buy-in from the RUIDP civil
engineers. Subsequently, the decision makers
realised that none of the pre-qualification
conditions for other infrastructure projects
could meet the needs of a conservation project
and were thus amended. It took determination
and many negotiations and revisions to finalise
the tender of the first conservation site.

An Overview of Government Funding and

Conservation
As a preface to the cases that follow, it is
important to note that it was only as late as 2001
that a Heritage Component was constituted
for urban conservation projects under the
aegis of the Rajasthan Urban Infrastructure
Development Project (RUIDP) supported by
theAsian Development Bank (ADB).
Amber, the parent city of Jaipur, the
only medieval city of India to have a rich,
albeit decrypt built fabric and an immediate
threat of mass encroachment, had been a
concern for Jaipur Intach. They had thus
invested in a feasibility study that became a
valuable reference for the consultant team.
The selected sites were under the jurisdiction

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 Amber: Conservation Planning and Designing
with Nature
In Amber, the concept of planning/designing
with nature became tangible for me. Upper Sagar
was constituted with a dam wall spanning the
two hills of Aravalli in the northern outskirts of
Amber village, designed to have rooms at lower
level for services and a pavilion to serve as a
short-stay lodge for the royals. Another check
dam wall with a walkway made up the Lower
Sagar. The resultant reservoirs along with the
Panna Miya/Meena ka Kund – a stepped well
in the valley at the village centre – are design
interventions from an era of deep understanding
of topography and water. During the restoration,
we de-silted the reservoirs, repaired the dam
walls and emptied the stepped well of all the
solid waste that had collected over the years just
in time for the monsoon rains that had failed
for two previous seasons. We were delighted to
find that not only the three restored sites but the
entire 175 wells in the valley around Amber had
water in them as opposed to the 26 before the
conservation effort began. Thus, not only were
the built elements restored, by serendipity we had
managed to recharge the water table that in turn
revived the ancient water management system.
It was rewarding, memorable and humbling to
44 buildings from the listed Ford Foundation Top: The medieval city of
study, facilitated an intimate relationship with Amber in the Arravalli Hills
relied on water harvested in
this city. Behind the touristy glitter, Jaipur (the these reservoirs
Walled City, founded in 1727) was still valid (Upper and Lower Sagar
viewed from the Fort wall)
as the ‘greenest’ city at its very basic planning
principles of mixed land use, walkability, inbuilt Bottom: Panna Miya/
water management, ratio of built and open spaces Meena Kund stepped well
in Amber valley; ruins of
encouraging community interaction, constructed havelis dot the two hills.
using locally available materials and a sound With the introduction of
economic policy for the city’s planned growth. PWD piped supply, the
ancient socio-cultural link
Social cohesion through secular design has to be with water bodies became
experienced at its squares, which have domestic only ritualistic. Throwing of
garbage into streams, ponds,
houses, temples and mosques blending seamlessly. wells and rivers is rampant.
The extraordinary Walled City is decaying The conservation of this site
while Jaipur is on a fast track to becoming a Metro. acted as a catalyst to remind
the residents of their sacred
Nothing in its growth reflects any sensitivity to legacy

PHOTO: ASHISH AGARWAL

experience the ingenuity of the 16th century
planners and builders up close.

Jaipur: The 18th Century Green City in Denial

Working on the conservation plans and tenders
of nine city gates, cenotaphs and the facades of

Smell can
be used to
interpret and
communicate
neglected
issues
associated
with urban
place-ness
across time

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 URBAN BLUEPRINT>Cherishing Heritage
understand and emulate such timeless planning
principles. The question is why? The answer is
partly in the governance system. While working
on the historic gates, we realised that while Jaipur
Walled City was the responsibility of the Jaipur
Municipality (JMC), the outer boundary and the
rest of the city was administered by the Jaipur
Development Authority. While JMC had the
Mayor presiding over it, the JDA was under an
IAS officer. Decisions on project proposals were
subject to inter-party and intra-personal politics.
While the Jaipur Intach team tried hard to create
participation of citizens as stake holders at various
sites for long-term caretaking and ownership, the
same was frowned upon and actively thwarted.
We did manage to incorporate and provide
for activities that were being undertaken at
project sites. For example, the vegetable market
at Chandpol (west gate) was re-organised
and provision for short-time parking for the
shoppers was incorporated. At Galta Gate
(east gate), our research told us of a yearly
pilgrimage that impacted the site and so
we designed the storm drain covers to also
facilitate as platforms for the shops that pop
up during the fair and added a public pay
toilet placed discretely on site. Unorganised
pay-parking at each of the historic gates was
re-designed and at New Gate, intervention
66 | MY LIVEABLE CITY • Oct-Dec 2019
64-68UB-artOfconservation/PVM.indd 66
was done in the wall to create pedestrian gates Left: Seven-km long Outer
Fort Wall of Amber is now
to ensure safety of the citizens. In Amber, we restored (by SDoA) and is
created two open air theatres: one adjoining open to public for walks. It
the Panna Miya/Meena Kund, in the heart of is a sight to behold. If they
could build it in the 12th
the village while the other at Mathura Gate century, surely, we can repair
which was also accessible from the Jaipur-Delhi and maintain it in the 21st
highway, with the vision that these could be century
adopted by the schools in the vicinity for their Top Right: Jaipur Galta Gate
yearly cultural programmes and by the village (before)
Our research into socio-
residents for their annual ‘Ram Lila’ and other cultural connect revealed
cultural festivals that dot the calendar year that this forgotten site
of Rajasthanis. We managed to execute these became a big camp site once
a year with thousands visiting
interventions but failed to institutionalise the over a month on pilgrimage
partnership for co-caretaking. to Galtaji which lies beyond
The Amber projects highlighted their value the gate and hill
to the administration and led to the creation of Bottom Right: Galta Gate
the Amber Development Authority. An inspired Jaipur (now)
The socio-cultural links
Secretary (IAS) of the SDoA took up the guided the conservation
restorations of the fort and the fort wall. While and development of the
RUIDP had placed the fort wall project aside, surroundings to facilitate
the yearly pilgrimage and
our report and estimates were adopted by the fair, which would in turn
archaeology department for execution. On my ensure the sanctity of the
visit a few years later, I saw the restored wall heritage building. An example
of conservation that is
and realised the impact of our pioneering work. development oriented
And, since then, the work of conservation of
heritage sites under government jurisdiction in
Rajasthan has not stopped. But, alas, connect of
communities and heritage built fabric is largely
uninfluenced by these invocations.
03/10/19 4:22 PM
 Coorg: Built Fabric and Cultural Beliefs
I realised the link between built fabric and
cultural beliefs while researching and writing for
the book Traditional Architecture of Coorg (Silent
Sentinels, published in 2005). Coorg’s fabric
stands out because of family mansions called
the Ainemane. These courtyard-type houses are
large, situated strategically on high ground often
abutting the family’s agricultural land much like
Goan houses. Most of them are 300 to 400 years
old and are well preserved and looked after.
The Kodavas are a small genetic group and
have moved to major cities and abroad as well,
just like many Goans. To find these houses in
such well-kept condition did surprise me. Having
witnessed severe neglect to similar edifices in
Goa, I was perplexed. I dug into the social history
and customs of the Kodavas and interviewed the
scholars. The effort revealed that the Kodavas
worship their ancestors. The family houses are
the embodiment of their ancestors and hence in
turn these houses have a place of reverence in the
customs. The northwest corner of the courtyard
of the main house is adorned with a lamp and this
is kept lit 365 days a year as symbolic reverence to
their ancestors. Each member of the clan through
the generations has a place in the family home,
no questions asked.
A kind of social security wouldn’t you
agree? And so most were inhabited by some
64-68UB-artOfconservation/PVM.indd 67
family member or the other or, in recent years,
a caretaker is often engaged by the family. All
births, marriages and death ceremonies are tied
up with a customary visit to the family home
accompanied by ritualistic celebrations. Thus, it
is a ‘belief’ system that has emerged as the force
of continuum of this building type.
Colonial Heritage: Shimla Town-Hall
The rehabilitation of Shimla Town-Hall
undertaken over last 4 years, under the aegis of
Infrastructure Development Investment Project
for Tourism in Himachal Pradesh, displayed
capacity building by the Government. However,
Left: Coorg - This sacred lamp
the challenge came at the implementation stage and the house are symbolic
and that too from the craftsmen. The attitude of the combined body of
of ‘job for money’ resulted in shoddy work. To ancestors of the Eichetira
family at their Ainemane.
bring a sense of respect for the old building that Socio-cultural beliefs
they were working on, I had to remind them that are strong contenders as
while the building may be from the colonial era, instruments for continuum
the craftsmen that had built the building in 1908 Top Right: Shimla Town-Hall
were from their region and probably their own attic (before)
One of the least abused
ancestors. This sentiment did shape some change spaces in the complete
in attitude of ownership for their work. However, I dereliction of this unique
did realise that we as a nation are losing our sense building that displayed
alarming apathy of the users
of pride in our work in all spheres and mediocrity
or less than that is becoming the norm. Bottom Right: Shimla Town-
The schism of ‘top-down’ is palpable even Hall attic (restored)
The original intent
though community engagement has become harnessed, it is now awaiting
part of the ADB funded projects and is also sensible and sensitive reuse
PHOTO: PRABHA CHAUDHARY
Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 67
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 URBAN BLUEPRINT>Cherishing Heritage

Top: Shimla Town-Hall North

ALL PHOTO OTHER THAN MENTIONED: AUTHOR

Façade (now)
Repeated tarring of Ridge
Road had altered its
relationship with the old
building resulting in severe
water ingress due to failed
rain water disposal. The
building was conserved and
all services were revitalised.
A buffer space was created
between the road and the
building with a retaining wall
to support the higher-level
road while the original
road-level and the rain water
drain were reclaimed to allow
for light and ventilation of
the wall and basement as
was intended in the original
design. A new relationship
was integrated with the road
at the originally designated
access points to ensure
continuum in use. Further,
along the length of the
building, a cobbled apron
was instituted on the road to
remind future ‘tarring’ to be

PHOTO: PRABHA CHAUDHARY

mindful
Bottom: Shimla Town-Hall
North Façade (before)
Lynchpin location of this
building, abutting two of the
prime roads, with ground,
first and attic floors. The
façade on the Mall Road to
the south and basement,
ground and attic on the
Ridge Road in the north
saved it from demolition. The
abuse and negligence of the
building was immense
showing results when viewed in relation to
capacity building for crafts, home stays, forest
regeneration etc. However, when it comes to
heritage buildings, dialogue between stakeholders
ended with ownership claims but no sharing of
sensible and sensitive responsibility.
Further, I would argue that sensible
ownership of our built environment appears to be
completely missing as is evident from the ongoing
superimposition of the 21st century building
techniques and building materials. We seem to
be compelled to build at the fastest pace with
least creative inputs for maximum gain. This is
detrimental to the organic fabric that we see in
place today in almost all of our Indian cities that
took centuries to evolve. It also adds to urban
congestion, over-stretching the carrying capacity
of the land beyond its limits.
Towards an Integrated Conservation-led
Development Strategy
The revitalisation of towns should concern,
first and foremost, the residents. Planning in
and around a historic town demands prudence,
sensitivity and precision without rigidity, since
each case presents a specific problem. The Indian
city is an ensemble of diverse characteristics,
thus not amenable to a single type of planning
intervention, however broad or comprehensive
its scope.
To conclude, we in India urgently need
revision in our development model. We need
an ‘Integrated Conservation-led Development
Strategy which includes:
•Conservation that is development
oriented. The study of built character should
dictate the formulation of building bye-laws
in respective areas. Conservation and re-use
of buildings must be incentivised and new
buildings should be spatially appropriate to the
existing ones.
•Development that is ecologically
appropriate. The characteristic feature of
traditional settlements was their ecological
equilibrium, often now destroyed by insensitive
contemporary interventions.
•Development that reduces dependence on
materials, skills and technology external to the
area. Distinctiveness of historic towns is mainly
due to the creative use of local materials. There
is a need for reviving the traditional building
methods with locally available materials.
•Coordinated Implementation. Time for
working in silos is over. The government needs to
revamp its administration structure and creatively
harness the potential of all its employees and
curtail all duplication and bridge the gaps.
The art of holistic conservation is really the
art of developing strategies where the relationship
between care-taking and commodification is
explicitly balanced. Land, rivers, fields and forests
are all valuable resources and not commodities.
Citizens in a democracy are not subjects to be
ruled but co-participants in shaping the future of
the country.

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 URBAN BLUEPRINT>Sensory Perception

Smelltopia
Samantha J. Harris celebrates the nose as a vehicle for revealing invisible place-ness

E xternal stimuli captured by our senses and

processed through neurochemical pathways
are essential in defining the world around
us. Cities produce an endless array of experiences
that our bodies and brains sort through constantly
interactive work that developed a series of custom
‘smellscapes’ to reveal vital histories of ROW
DTLA, an adaptive re-use, mixed-use district
at the historic Los Angeles Terminal Market.
Opened in 1917, the Terminal Market was the
to formulate our interpretation of them. final stop for produce and other goods along the
A number of artists, landscape architects and Southern Pacific Railroad’s Alameda Corridor The scent-making workshops
combined discussions of
others involved in environmental awareness in downtown Los Angeles. While ROW DTLA’s the era’s history, exploration
and placemaking are pushing back against the new shops and pop-up events are predominantly of images evoked by the
dominance of the image as the primary mode trendy and upscale, the re-fashioned site still fragrances, and carefully
recorded combinations of
of representation of place. They recognise the houses the busy Seventh Street Produce Market, elements to create each
importance of conveying invisible forms of an adjacent, wholesale thoroughfare containing final mix
connection and experience across time and space
and are proposing that a more robust engagement
of the non-visual senses, including olfactory,
auditory, gustatory, tactile and kinesthetic be used
for a richer interpretation and understanding of
our cities.
Of all the senses, smell is most closely
associated with memory. The olfactory input in
respiration is constant; it can’t be turned off in the
same way that eyes can be shut. What is perceived
as scent is derived from subtle distinctions in
chemical molecules and pheromones floating in
the air. Through respiration, scent follows the
nose’s receptors on a neural route to the limbic
system, which is considered the most ancient part
of the brain, as it was present in our mammalian
ancestors. Smell is a core contributor to memory,
emotion and learning. Certain smells can
unexpectedly trigger memories long obscured by
the fog of time. They connect us immediately and
enduringly to our memories.
These sensory experiences can create
a sense of connection to the unexperienced
historic character of a place. They can be strong
enough that one could seem to ‘remember’
it without having ever been there. The
following two interactive artworks utilise this
phenomenological manoeuvering to develop
‘Smelltopias’, places imagined and embodied
through the nose and olfaction. They are powerful
examples of how smell can be used to interpret
and communicate neglected issues associated
with urban place-ness across time.
PHOTO: MICHAEL WELLS

Storytelling and the Invisible Physicality

of Perfume
Alameda Heart Notes, by SALT Landscape
Architects and the Institute for Art and Olfaction,
both located in Los Angeles’s Chinatown, was an

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 URBAN BLUEPRINT>Sensory Perception
Smell can over 85 vendors catering to the commercial food
industry in Los Angeles.
be used to Alameda Heart Notes is not an intellectual
interpret and history lesson, bound by dates of events or the
communicate names of the rich and powerful. Rather, it is a
neglected series of resonant love songs to a diversity of
moments and experiences of a particular place
issues through time.
associated When Allen Compton of SALT was asked to
with urban participate in LA Design Week at ROW DTLA, he
and his team were hoping to come up with a new
place-ness way to allow the site to emerge. He recounted:
across time “The project started with a question, how can
‘place-ness’ be explored beyond researching and
re-packaging historic words and images? The
facts of how the site had been used over the
decades were well known. We could see photos
of them, read about them, but how could we
more deeply ‘feel’ them to intuitively recall and
acknowledge what this place had been?”
The team joined forces with Saskia Wilson-
Brown, Founder and Executive Director of
The Institute for Art and Olfaction, a non-
profit devoted to advancing public, artistic and
During the LA Design Festival
party, visitors were offered
creative experimental engagement with scent.
a chance to smell each of Wilson-Brown was intrigued with the concept
the different scents on of communicating an evolving urban sense of
cards, leading to animated
discussions about the site’s place by creating historic touch point fragrances:
history “There have been projects relating scent to
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place, most notably the ones implemented by
Kate McLean (Smell walks in cities around the
world). The Alameda Heart Notes project was
unique in that there was a more overt narrative of
change to draw from, as it delved into how space
changes through time. Likewise, the research was
thorough, which provided for rich and complex
odour profiles.”
Over a series of five workshops at the
Institute, the team aimed to uncover and create
essences for five moments in historic eras that
expressed distinct developmental and land-
use milestones to tell the site’s ‘essential’ story.
Compton recounted, “The scents didn’t have to be
pleasant; they needed only to signify experience
and not be overwhelming or confusing. Most
important was that each scent had to express
memorable meaning.”
The workshops included individuals who had
a personal connection to each one of the time
periods. These included a tribal biologist with the
Gabrileño Band of Mission Indians of the Kizh
nation, a vintner and Los Angeles city archivist,
a map librarian, a historian specialising in
California produce, the great-grandson of the man
who brought the train to downtown Los Angeles
and a former American Apparel factory worker.
After researching the chronology of the site
over time, the team chose five eras to represent as
PHOTO: MICHAEL WELLS
03/10/19 2:34 PM
 Lack of light can
have detrimental
effects on the
human body and
psyche

PHOTO: MICHAEL WELLS

historic smellscapes: Pre-1781: The Gabrieleño;
1833: Spanish Missions; 1876: Citrus Groves
and the Emergence of the Railroad; 1917: The
Terminal Market; and 2000: Industrial Re-
use: American Apparel. Each smellscape relays
distinctive spatial and atmospheric features
intended to recollect temporal place-ness. While
the framework for the project follows a traditional
chronological order, the scents themselves are
timeless and simultaneous; they all occupy the
same space. It is only the element of time that
PHOTO: MICHAEL WELLS
has transformed this space into a series of vastly
different places. These perfumed glimpses into
the past are fluid, transmuting and evolving as
the scents evaporate and fade.
In perfumery, notes are the musical
metaphoric nomenclature for the three classes
of scents that comprise a fragrance. Notes reveal
themselves after initial application and through deep reverence for nature — its seasons, cycles Top: The various isolated
evaporation over time. The top or head notes and the sacred river. The scent is defined by the scents were introduced
to the workshop group
come on first, the middle or heart notes are the single, pure note of the California Sagebrush one at a time, allowing the
main body of a fragrance and the final base notes (Artemisia californica), the pungent plant participants to collaborate
in the construction of each
linger. Very much like memories, notes not only colloquially referred to as ‘Cowboy Cologne’. blend
work in concert to create something greater than It connotes an expansive, undeveloped arid Bottom: Labelled scent sticks
their respective parts, but they can also work landscape, rich with the volatile oils of the coastal were lined up as each new
smell was introduced at the
against each other, as one note can often alter or sage scrub plant. The 1833 smellscape evokes workshop
obscure the perception of the next over time. a consecrated vineyard, equal parts pungent
The earliest smellscape in Alameda Heart fermentation, dark oak casks and sanguine
Notes, titled Pre-1781, recalls the Gabrieleño’s leather-clad bibles. It embodies the half-century

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 URBAN BLUEPRINT>Sensory Perception
during which the Missionaries transformed
the Los Angeles Basin into farmland with wild
grape vines to produce Sacramental wine. These
vineyards gave way to citriculture in 1876, and
the orange became the romantic symbol of
California, which was marketed as ‘the land of
health and wealth.’ The ensuing spike in land
speculation and real estate boom was directly
connected to the development of the Southern
Pacific Railroad. The fragrance is redolent of
both land and industry, a honey blossom dream,
sunbaked Los Angeles at dusk. The scent that
marks the era of 1917 acknowledges the bustling
life of the produce warehouse. It communicates
an almost oppressive organic presence, abundant
rows of tomatoes arranged in stacked wood crates
and fallen peach skins moldering in sticky union
with sawdust and pavement.
The smellscapes conclude with 2000, a
watershed year in America. The change in
millennia ushered in a generation born into
anxiety over domestic and foreign terrorism,
climate change and the rapid technological
evolution leading to an increasingly digitally
driven culture. During this era, the American
Apparel Factory occupied the historic L.A.
Terminal Market. The head note for the scent is a
chaste, strident aroma of laundry detergent that
is familiar and entirely synthetic. The heart and
base notes underpin an alternate story of oiled
factory steel and body odor, of the pre-millennial
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city’s standard human-machine interface. These
During a block party event at ROW DTLA in Smelltopias
June 2019, five team envoys sprayed the scents
on thick white cardstock and passed them out. are invisible,
The cards were printed with the scent year and yet somehow
title, and the participants shared with the public more immediate
a bit of pertinent information about the scents’
perfume notes as well as the era’s history. In the
and tangible
process of encountering each of these scents, than words
something like a memory trace was created. and historic
These smelltopias are invisible, yet somehow photographs
more immediate and tangible than words and
historic photographs. They offer passages into
what has been and reminders of lost connections
to land, nature, cycles, seasons, to the people
and things for which we have no words and from
which we are increasingly removed.
The Nose, Identity and Environmental
Well-Being
Smog Orchestra, by Nova Jiang, with music
composed by Celia Hollander, is a performance
work inspired by Los Angeles’s air quality
data. During 2018, Jiang participated as artist
in residence at the Los Angeles Clean Tech
Incubator (LACI), a non-profit, public-private
partnership developed to drive the city’s goal of
growing its innovative green energy sector. At
LACI, the artist interacted with climate scientists
involved with the green energy industry about
L.A.’s multi-pronged effort over the past decades
PHOTO: MONICA NOUWENS
The artist took digital
photogrammetric scans
of noses and translated
them into 3D printed Nose
Ocarinas, wind instruments
were used to perform a
musical interpretation of Los
Angeles Air Quality Data
02/10/19 4:28 PM
 A trio performs Smog
Orchestra. The score, “is an
expression of processing
airborne stimuli, whether it’s
a pressure wave or a cloud
of odorous molecules, into
information with associative
memories before it diffuses
and fades.”

PHOTO: MONICA NOUWENS

to improve air quality. She realised that, “since participants to playfully engage with the work.
smog reduction has been so successful in The score by Hollander is written for “three
Los Angeles, it’s not something people think nose shaped ocarinas inspired by the relation
about a lot anymore. Giving some kind of between nose and ear, scent and sound. The score
visible or audible form to it is an interesting is an expression of processing airborne stimuli,
CREDITS:
and natural challenge for art.” In addition, the whether it’s a pressure wave or a cloud of odorous
work addresses the crucial environmental equity molecules, into information with associative ALAMEDA HEART
discrepancies often found in cities: “It’s well memories before it diffuses and fades.” During NOTES:
documented that poorer neighbourhoods have one performance, three different scents were
SALT Landscape
worse air pollution, such as neighbourhoods near sprayed into the audience to further reinforce Architects
freeways. I hope Smog Orchestra highlights what the connection. The air-quality-inspired music Allen Compton
we have in common, the fact that we all need to was haunting and melancholy, rising and falling Jose Devora
breathe air.” in slow, non-syncopated loops. The ocarinas Ellen Epley
Jamie Heitner
Jiang created prototypes of rounded, nose- were accompanied by other more common Jisoo Kim
shaped ocarinas, an ancient flute-like instrument instruments, including a harp, keyboard and Grace Sullano
that is often also worn as a pendant. They were frame guitar. The transportive song used fleeting Hildegun Varhelyi
3D printed using the photogrammetry technique, inputs to assemble an arrangement of novel Eri Yamagata
based on the noses of the artist’s friends. The relationships that proposed an alternative sensory
Institute for Art and
artist notes that blowing into these instruments understanding of place, latent stories of the city, Olfaction:
feels intimate. The form also is very similar to a of smelltopia. Saskia Wilson-Brown
Chinese ceramic instrument called a Xun, which These sensory investigations of urban space, Minetta Roger
Jiang received as a gift from her father in China. memory, interpersonal connection, identity and
Partners:
For her, the ocarinas themselves memorialise activism reveal new ways of communicating Everybody.world
people and things of the past. and exploring our urban context. They ask LA Design Festival
Jiang recognised that societal expectations of difficult questions and present complex The Scent Bar
the size and shape of our noses, more than other feedback connecting smell and remembrance
sense organs, can raise intense gender and racial as interactive art. They argue that our various SMOG ORCHESTRA
Artist: Nova Jiang
identity sensitivities. An unconventional subject senses can and should be used to reveal and Support: LACI AIR
in art, the nose here is celebrated. convey the complex layers of stories and histories Performance
The nose ocarinas would have been threaded throughout cities. These experiments Composer: Celia
incomplete without air and so the artist invited in smelltopias are a call not only to look at the Hollander
Pianist: Hui Wu
musicians, composers and audience members to city, but also to stop, breathe and smell to stir past Guitarist: Cameron
fill out the story with their breath. She intended recollections and create rich new memories and O’Connor
for the soft bulbous form of the noses to seduce understanding of place. Harpist: Ko Ni Choi

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 URBAN BLUEPRINT>France
Urban Poetry in Motion
Oriana Fernandez takes us on a walk through Montpellier
T he conscious design of public spaces in a
city, particularly as a sequence of carefully
conceived visual and sensory experiences
along a walk or drive is one of the important
aspects of the art of urban design. A case in
point is the vast network of streets of traditional
European towns that translate literal urban
design vocabulary into stretches of visual and
physical built form. History courses through these
intimate streets, like various scenes unravelling
in a play. The sequence and scale of open spaces
and built form together trigger a sense of identity
and belonging for both residents as well as people
in transit. The urbanists responsible for such
experiences carefully carved out striking visuals
ranging from traditional and intimate courtyards
with fonts, to tree-lined avenues with impressive
architectural blocks made with modern materials.
Art abounds in these streets in the guise of
impressionable urban compositions, inviting
people to participate in both the sacred and the
profane rituals of daily life.
City on the Coast
Just off the southern coast of France lies
Montpellier, a former port and traditional
university town. Founded in 985, an 11th century
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wall outlines the city’s concentrated urban
citadel. Montpellier occupies an important
seat of research and learning, with its principal
universities in the fields of Law, Arts and
The city features
old and new
architectural
Medicine dating from the mid 13th century. landmarks,
Montpellier serves as an urban laboratory, with along with a
a slew of internationally acclaimed architects,
such as Ricardo Bofill, Sou Fujimoto, Jean teeming urban
Nouvel and Zaha Hadid, invited to reimagine public realm
and redefine the urban form and character of the
city. The excursion on foot through Montpellier
covers three distinct zones, each with its own
configuration of urban form and open spaces.
The First Stretch
The historic core of Montpellier or L’Éccuson
(The Shield), is a dense, organic urban quarter
with La Place de la Comédie as the jewel in
its crown. Over the years, buildings have been
subjected to adaptive reuse and renovation, all
the while retaining the essence of the history of
the settlement. The old city has evolved, with the
removal of the city walls, insertion of new roads
and introduction of a dedicated tramline network.
1. We start our walk at the the Porte du Peyrou,
and move eastwards. Located on the eastern
02/10/19 4:34 PM
 end of the Jardins du Peyrou, it is comparable
to L’Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile in Paris. The
monument was designed in 1690 by Francois
d’Orbay, who was involved in some of France’s
most iconic landmarks, notably Le Louvre
museum and Palais de Versailles. The Porte du
Peyrou serves as an entry portal into L’Eccuson.
2. Rue Foch begins here, with the stepped
Cour d’Appel (Courthouse) de Montpellier on
the left side and an administrative block on the
right with off-street parking.
3. Further down Rue Foch, the streetscape
is reminiscent of the grand avenues of
Haussmann’s Paris. The five storey Mansard
roof structures lining the road break off into
smaller lanes.
4. Rue Foch culminates at the Place
Martyrs de la Resistance and is enclosed by
the Préfecture de l’Herault, the Post Office
block and some mixed-use blocks. There are
entrances to underground parking facilities in
this area. The central island is complete with a
fountain, seating space, some large urns and a
few trees.
5. The space off to the right of the island, Espace
Philippe IV de Valois, leads into the shopping
and eating zone. The relatively new, single storey
74-78UB-streets/Montpellier/Oriana4pg.indd 75
block, Les Halles Castellanes, on the right, is a
covered market where fresh produce is sold.
6. Further along, is the Place Jean-Jaurès.
It is an excellent example of a public open
space that is used for social events, while also
accommodating a string of street cafés and
restaurants.
7. Rue de la Loge begins here and is a
pedestrian-only shopping street.
8. The street indicates a small pause point in
the form of a circular junction at the right turn.
Buskers set up here on the average day. The
blocks are mixed-use in nature with the ground
floor displays showcasing clothing, books, food
and drink.
9. The intimate Rue de la Loge spills into the
Place de la Comédie, one of the largest squares in
Europe. Till the mid-1960s, this space served as a
solitary, oval-shaped traffic island (L’Oeuf). With
the introduction of new development reforms,
the island was converted into a large public space
that is actively used today.
10. Place de la Comédie is flanked by many
historic buildings such as the 19th century Italian
style opera house on the western point (Opéra
Orchestre National Montpellier Occitanie).
11. Standing with one’s back towards the
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 URBAN BLUEPRINT>France
opera house, a mixed-use block comes into view,
that was formerly a department store, Galeries
Lafayette. The mansard roof corners are bulbous
in shape resembling deep-sea diver helmets.
12. A fountain stands in the middle of the
square called the Three Graces, designed by
sculptor Estienne d’Antoine in 1790. This place
is frequented by locals, tourists and students on a
daily basis and makes for a good meeting point.
13. The easily recognisable Gaumont Theatre
sits along the periphery of the square next to the
Galeries Lafayette block.
14. Place de la Comédie towards the east,
branches into two paths: one towards the tree-
lined Esplanade Charles de Gaulle and the other
towards the shopping mall, Polygone. In the
distance, the Tourist Office can be seen.
15. The Triangle comes into view at this point.
This route is frequently used by pedestrians
cutting through the clutter of traffic and the steep
terrain since the mall is fitted with escalators
galore.
16. The edge conditions here give rise to three
complimentary functions: hotel services on the
left, eateries on the right and shopping straight
ahead past the rear entrance to the Polygone.
17. The entrance resembles a semi-circular
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French window enclosed within a rectangular
frame. This is yet another type of entry portal
leading into an enclosed environment.
18. Place Paul Bec is the main space in front
of the main entrance to the Polygone. The
classical Renaissance style building, with its many
fenestrated levels, consists of a graduate school,
a library, office and shops. The space often hosts
events targeting students in the area.
The Second Stretch
Ricardo Bofill’s Antigone lies on the opposite side of
the Polygone. The project covering 36 hectares, was
started in 1979 and completed in 2000. It is a vast,
postmodern commercial and residential complex,
built on former military grounds that occupied
the site. Despite its grand scale and classical
exaggerations, Antigone succeeds in shaping large
public spaces and creating a strong pedestrian
axis southward. In essence, this project acts as a
connection between the old historic centre and the
district of Richter across the River Lez.
19. After crossing a tramline track, the palatial
entrance into Antigone emerges. A square
archway cuts into the building offering a glimpse
of the courtyard, with the fountain, Poseidon,
02/10/19 4:44 PM
 inside. Lined-up round bollards prevent vehicles
from entering the compound.
20. The Antigone’s Place du Nombre d’Or
takes on the form of a partial cruciform in plan.
The height of the buildings in this parcel is about
seven storeys. Informal farmer markets set up
shop here on fair weather days.
21. In the entire configuration, monumental
gateways lead into different types of open
spaces. Along the Place du Millénaire, the line of
buildings on either side have shops on the ground
floor and the street is dotted with trees.
22. After crossing Rue Léon Blum, the portal
of Place de Zeus grants further access. It houses
the main information services department of
Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole. The shaded
vaulted space frames the next sequence
of squares.
23. A pause point in the form of a fountain
fitted with three human sculptures, Trois
Éphèbes, occupies the centre of Place de
Théssalie. The two mirrored Parthéna blocks
occupy the backdrop.
24. From this point, it is clear that no more
immediate open spaces are visible. Instead, a line
of buildings gracing both sides of the street come
into view.
Montpellier’s
streets, each
with their
own distinct
character, form
an important
container of
public life
74-78UB-streets/Montpellier/Oriana4pg.indd 77
25. After crossing Rue de l’Acropole, the newer
addition of buildings emerges: a municipal
library, a swimming pool and recreational centre,
and Place Dionysos.
26. After crossing Rue Poseidon, a pedestrian
path runs into a massive, semi-circular expanse,
Place de l’Europe, and is bordered by similarly
shaped perimeter blocks, Esplanade de l’Europe.
27. At the end of the Antigone overlooking the
Lez, the Statue Allégorique de la Victoire faces
the viewer and is framed by the glass-clad Hôtel
de Région, the regional seat of government,
completed in 1989 by Bofill.
The Third Stretch
Consuls de Mer is a neighbourhood on the
banks of the Lez, conceptualised in 1991 by Rob
Krier and Nicolas Lebunetel. The design of the
clusters of town buildings with painted facades
and height variations is centred around public
and semi-private courtyards. The district is
spread over 12 hectares with about 2,800 homes,
including social housing, student residences,
and shops at street level. Across the Lez River,
Adrien Fainsilber’s Richter quarter has a
sprawling university campus along with a mixed
range of commercial and residential development
Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 77
02/10/19 4:45 PM
 URBAN BLUEPRINT>France
Montpellier
is a living
urban artifact,
dotted with a
considerable
number of
markers in
the form of
landmarks and
pause points
along the riverfront, easily accessible by the
tramline network.
28. Along the Avenue du Pirée, one crosses
into Consul de Mers. A promenade with
street furniture runs along the left and a few
residential blocks can be seen in the distance.
29. After passing under the bridge, Avenue du
Pont Juvenal, the road travels further along the
edge of the Lez. A line of trees can be seen along
the left, reaffirming the promenade boundary.
30. Clusters of residential buildings and
flights of steps, typical of Krier’s New Urbanism
roots, can be seen on the right.
31. This passage cuts through the building
blocks here and leads into Place Jean Bene.
32. Two stone-and-concrete tower blocks
dominate this small roundabout. Avenue du
Pirée continues onwards. There is a statue in the
centre of the roundabout as well as two offshoot
roads: Chemin des Barques and Boulevard des
Consuls de Mer.
33. From this point, a small footbridge or
passerelle, Place des Barons de Caravettes,
connects to the university campus area, Espace
Jacques Premiere d’Aragon. The sloped lawns
along the river banks are frequented by joggers,
dog walkers and students.
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74-78UB-streets/Montpellier/Oriana4pg.indd 78
34. Rue Vendémiaire contains a mix of student
housing, residences, public facilities, offices and
shops. A tree-lined median sits comfortably in the
centre of the street. The glass and steel Faculté
d’Économie block is seen on the left.
35. A public centre with offices and shops on
the left with a running colonnade occupies this
place. Residential blocks with balconies looking
onto the street are found on the right.
36. The use of colonnades and arcades keeps
in mind human scale while providing a covered
space to walk.
From Old to New
Montpellier is a living urban artifact, dotted with
a number of markers in the form of landmarks
and pause points. Markers range from temporal
entities (stalls, street buskers) to permanent
structures (churches, shopping centres). Axial
design, highlighted in Montpellier, promotes
long formal vistas with strongly defined edge
conditions. The unseen axis of centrality creates
the distinct perception of a well organised
city, not in excess but in justified proportions.
Montpellier’s streets are containers of public
life, offering vivid lessons on how contemporary
public spaces can be conceived as physical
artistic realms in which activities take place.
02/10/19 4:46 PM
 CHANGE AGENTS>Interview
Art-Making as Community
Planning
Los Angeles-based Urban Planner James Rojas speaks with Vinayak Bharne
about how art-making can be an integral part of the city-making process
When we think of art in the context
of the city, we immediately think of
aesthetic or artistic products. But
another aspect of this nexus is the way
in which art becomes woven into the
process of city-making. Are your work
and initiatives an embodiment of this
idea – art as a process of making; art as
a verb, not a noun?
Urban planners and artists occupy the same space.
Most planners, however, think about cities in
head-heavy ways and use abstract tools like maps,
data and policy to understand, explore, control
and regulate the land. They do not let the land
speak for itself. Artists, on the other hand, begin
their inquiry through a sensory experience, which
is how people experience the city.
For the public, the city’s physical environment
is a spatial, visual and emotional language
formed by memories, needs and aspirations.
Its building blocks comprise more than simply
structures, streets and sidewalks, but equally
encompass personal experience, collective
memory and aspirations. These elements, while
less-tangible, but no-less-integral, transform
mere infrastructure into a place that can be best
captured through art-making.
Rather than ask people what they want or
need in their community as in most planning
meetings, residents build solutions with
objects, based on their own on-the-ground
knowledge and imagination. When people are
busy creating they don’t have the time to argue
or complain. Through material expressions of
ideas and imagination made by residents and/
or users themselves, this method improves
communication, inquiry, reflection, collaboration
and ownership of the process and idea generation
in a quick and playful manner. Planners can
capture this information to establish collective
values as a metric to measure development of
urban plans or policies and promote further
discussion, projects, plans and policies.
I appreciate the beauty in a piece of art;
however, it’s the production of it that intrigues me
as well as the sensory experience of the place it
uncovers. Therefore, art-making is an integral part
of my city-making process called Place It!
79-83CA-interview_rojas.indd 79
Can you summarise the working and
process of Place It!
Place It! is for visual and spatial thinkers, youth,
women, non-native English speakers and users of
the right side of the brain. Through trial and error,
Place It! has developed a formula through four
activities that use prompts, storytelling, the body,
landscape and objects. Each activity responds to
various conditions, venues and goals.
The Place It! workshop begins with a reflective
prompt. Participants are asked to build their
favourite childhood memory in 10 minutes
James Rojas
choosing from hundreds of small, everyday objects
like corks, plastic eggs, blocks and hair curlers,
markers, etc. The childhood memory prompt
serves as an icebreaker, reconnects participants to
their core human values and is the closest feeling
people get to utopia. It changes the mood of the
participants and they generally create sharing and
nurturing places. After the time is up, everyone
shares their memory with the group in order
to learn from one another, validate their lived
experiences and build empathy.
Once this initial task is completed,
participants are placed in teams and asked to
‘Build their ideal community’ (or a similar prompt
depending on the specific goals of the workshop)
in 15 minutes using the same objects. The teams
are given no constraints so they can choose
their own issue and solve it. Once each team has
completed their community models, they present
them to the group.
After each team presents their solutions
through the model, each team member is then
asked to pick a specific day and time and describe
an activity that would take place in their model.
This final step truly gives the model a life of The city’s
its own and brings out the participant’s deep physical
knowledge of how spaces work and how urban environment is
planning should reflect their values. As a wrap up,
common values are uncovered along with short- a spatial, visual
and long-term solutions. and emotional
Pop-Up Interactive Models are not static language formed
pieces of art, but interactive tools to unleash
people’s visceral urban knowledge and
by memories,
communicate it in a new and meaningful way. needs and
These models capture the power of the collective aspirations
community’s imagination through engaging with
Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 79
02/10/19 4:50 PM
 CHANGE AGENTS>Interview
Place It! workshop in
Mariachi Plaza
a landscape and objects in public venues and
spaces. Residents, tourists, visitors and the public
can reflect on, explore, experiment and ultimately
craft their ideal community by moving objects on
the map. These models highlight geography, streets
and landmarks. They are usually constructed
from foam boards and construction paper and
are designed to fit on top of a standard 6 foot by
30 inches platform; it is lightweight so it can be
moved to various locations for easy installation.
Small buildings and objects are provided with
the model. During the public interface, the model
serves as a hands-on, 3-D tool for the participants
to share their memories, needs and aspirations
for their community. People are able to place
them anywhere they choose to. Therefore, the
public engages in the three-dimensional model
by reading it like a map and by touching and
modifying it. By touching and moving the small
buildings on the model, the public is allowed to
investigate various urban forms that typify the
city and project their own ideas onto the model
about the physical nature of the community. In
this way, the viewer becomes an active participant
in the creation and evolution of the city planning
process. Through this process one is able to
understand how this city is physically created,
experienced and imagined.
Sensory-based site investigation allows for
individuals to use their sensory experiences and
imagination to re-envision spaces and ultimately
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79-83CA-interview_rojas.indd 80
contribute to more responsive and accessible land
uses and design. For the first step people tour
the site. Parking lots work well. They have ten
minutes to explore the site and choose a location
they find comfortable. Once they zero in on their
spot, the group reconvenes and visits the chosen
individual sites. The participants present their
site to the group and explain why they chose it.
These narratives are interesting because no two
locations and experiences are ever the same.
Through this activity participants learn how their
bodies relate to the built environment; it also
illustrates how human nature looks for comfort
in the built environment and serves as an ice
breaker for the group. This activity is followed by
a workshop.
Interpretive Walks help people examine,
explore and create a physical and mental desire to
connect with one another and the intimate details
of the landscape through the body and memories.
Residents and stakeholders walk together and talk
about their memories and experiences of a place.
These intimate details, like the pages of a book,
help us understand this community. These walks
capture the community’s pulse and reinforce the
social bonds of community. Participants are both
the viewers and the observed. The walks help
people articulate their sensory needs.
In summary, Place It! sensory activities are
created for people to examine and landscape
through a different urban planning lens. People
02/10/19 4:50 PM
 The public learn how to articulate their needs, ask better
questions on the design proposals and projects
engages in and ultimately find common ground through
the three- landscape, memory, experiences and aspirations.
dimensional
Tell us about some of your projects
model by and initiatives and their successes and
reading it like shortcomings.
a map and by There were about 75 low-income Latino residents
touching and at an Eastside transportation meeting. I was
working for LA Metro and the agency was
modifying it planning the $900 million rail project through
their community. These residents had the lowest
auto ownership, highest transit use in LA County,
and they had more on-the-ground knowledge of
using public transit than most of the transportation
planners. Yet these residents made very few
comments at the public meeting. That’s when I
realised community meetings were not engaging
diverse audiences, thinkers and personalities.
At the same time I opened an art gallery in
Downtown LA and was able to experiment and
develop Place It!
For the past 10 years, through word of mouth,
I have facilitated over one thousand Place It!
workshops and trained hundreds more to use this
San Francisco interactive
model
79-83CA-interview_rojas.indd 81
approach. I have installed hundreds of interactive
model pop-ups from Tijuana’s Colinas to Bronx’s
Laundromats. I collaborated with grassroots
organisations, artists and others who seek to
engage mainly under-represented communities,
which include youth, people of varying ethnicity,
immigrants, women, elders and the LGBTQ
community.
In 2013, I collaborated with Phoenix’s disabled
community to help improve access to their newly
built state-of-the-art Ability 360 Center. Dozens
of people, all with disabilities, participated in the
workshop to envision their potential station. This
workshop helped them articulate their voice and
turn their struggle into a station design. As a result
of the workshop the group was so motivated it
lobbied local government to build the station. In
2018 the city opened the new 50th Street station
to serve this community.
The Compton elders shared high-fives
after they presented their ‘Heritage Park’
vision for the Artesia Light Rail Station Area.
This activity was jubilant for these African-
American women, because for the first time
they could build their love and knowledge for
their community with objects into a three-
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02/10/19 4:50 PM
 CHANGE AGENTS>Interview
Art-making is dimensional model for their ideal station area.
transformative Place It! helped them plan this station that
would reflect their history and emotion.
because people South Colton’s recently approved active
realise they transportation design guidelines folded Place It!
are their own with Latino Urbanism. Our creative, hands-on
and culturally informed community engagement
experts events ultimately led to an uncovering of real,
on-the-ground local knowledge and expertise
that embraced how many Latinos use public and
private space.
Place It! helps to reframe the planning issue
but, more importantly, to uncover the sensory
experiences of place that maps, data and other
typical planning tools miss.
How can art in multiple forms enhance
community involvement in the planning
process? How can it enhance or
transform mainstream planning?
Art-making is a powerful tool to foster social and
racial equity through civic engagement because
it breaks down barriers such as language, age,
ethnicity and professional training. People are
happy when they create, rather than just talk.
Art-making raises people’s consciousness of
built environment elements:
•Social Cohesion: Reinforce their bounds and
concern for families, friends and neighbours.
•Belonging: Discover how they belong physically
and socially to one another and the community.
•Healing: Understand their struggle and heal
Re-imaging a Chicago
parking lot
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79-83CA-interview_rojas.indd 82
each other and the environment.
•Aspirations: Highlight their aspirations and set
their own goals.
•Self-determination: Encouraging people to plan
for their own future and act on it.
•Collaboration: Let people realise that when
we bring diverse backgrounds, experiences and
perspectives together we are strong.
Art-making also removes economic and
political barriers to help people find commonality
through their core human values. This bridges the
gap between mainstream planning and under-
represented communities because it increases the
safe space for everyone to come together, listen,
share, bond and collaborate to find common
memories, experiences, aspirations and generate
cutting-edge ideas and solutions for their
communities.
Rather than use maps and numbers, which
oftentimes merely repackage and transfer
knowledge amongst people, through art-making
people create new planning knowledge that
they did not know they had. Directly involving
participants (as opposed to ‘audiences’ or passive
viewers) in re-imagining equitable growth and
development in their community it gives them
the know-how they need to achieve their goals.
Art-making is transformative because people
realise they are their own experts.
You are a strong advocate of informal
urbanism, specifically related to the
02/10/19 4:51 PM

Top: Latino front yard,
Alhambra
Bottom: Barrio Logan
Latino culture in the US. What are
some of the main takeaways from
your observations on this urbanism,
particularly along the theme of art and
the city?
Beginning with my 1991 MIT thesis, ‘The Enacted
Environment: The Creation of Place by Mexicans
and Mexican Americans in East Los Angeles’, I have
been researching, documenting and experiencing
the transformation of Southern California’s
suburban communities by Latinos.
Because many Latinos come to the US with
very few resources, they must rely on their basic
art-making instincts to fulfill their economic, social
and cultural needs. Day labourers and street vendors
use streets for work, while Latino homeowners
transform their front yards into plazas. Latinas use
79-83CA-interview_rojas.indd 83
ALL PHOTOS: AUTHOR
their front yards for self-expression and cultural
preservation. Murals educate and celebrate the
power and struggle of the community.
Unlike a conventional American urban or
suburban landscape in which order, perfection
and a display of values are the ideal, the Latino-
American landscape is one of cultural, social and
economic production. Every resident has a hand
in the production of space and community, which
empowers them. These landscapes are culturally
vital spaces and culturally informed approaches to
the creation of space.
These do-it-yourself adaptations and aspirational
interventions create a hybrid style that
I term ‘Latino urbanism’. Typically, these urban design
interventions have been created in the shadows of
municipal codes because the underlying values that
created these codes have not been updated or, in
many cases, these interventions have gone unnoticed.
What is not codified through zoning is remembered
through art-making in Latino communities.
The New Urbanism of the late 1980s
rediscovered the grand Spanish plans to colonise
the new world through spatial order, formalised
through the Law of Indies’ planning codes that
created thousands of Latin-American settlements.
When I was documenting the Latino transformation
of Los Angeles County, my MIT colleague was
documenting New Urbanist design guidelines. In
conclusion, they both produced the same spatial
benefits of walkable communities. However, Latinos
produced these elements themselves as a cultural
expression as in the case of South Colton.
Art-making helps preserve and enhance the
Latino community’s values through the Do-It-
Yourself urban planning process because it offers
new methods of planning inquiry. It also taps into
people’s aspirations of place and allows Latinos to
add visual and spatial values to suburbia.
Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 83
02/10/19 4:51 PM
 PROVOCATEUR>Abstract Forms

The Red Lab

Sachin Agshikar shows us how a modest yet formally complex building
can transform a mundane industrial setting through an artfully generated
visual contrast

I t’s not difficult to make a building stand out

within a setting by creating a stark visual
contrast. It is, however, not easy to introduce
such contrasting insertions and make an overall
organised around a small courtyard and this
open space was covered with a skylight to ensure
that the interior would be free from industrial
dust. The laboratory spaces were located on the
This building
had to be a
unique object,
setting a lot better. To accomplish this, the new ground floor with the offices on the upper two almost like a
object cannot be a whimsical gesture, but rather floors. The building was intentionally made three sculpture
a conscious creation whose formal and visual storeys high to give it a scale compatible with the
characteristics have been carefully conceived adjacent warehouse. Windows were placed so that
after reading the aesthetic qualities of the they did not line up with each other, making it
surroundings. In harsh settings like industrial visually difficult to read the number of building
complexes, for example, a distinct artistic floors from the outside.
element seen against the existing backdrop can The water tank became a unique sculptural
not only enhance visual navigation but also help feature of the composition. It was designed as a
mitigate the harsher qualities of the place. triangular plan and extruded as a corner tower
“Why do we need an architect for this small facing the entrance gate. The sharp corners of
building when we have built this entire cement the tank complemented by the angular wall
factory from scratch?” was the general opinion of the second-floor conference room gave the
of most of the people who had helped set up
the Micro-Fine cement factory on the eastern
border of Goa. The company’s Chief Engineer,
however, firmly begged to differ. He believed
that architecture could make a difference; that
a new building containing labs and offices could
not only create the work space they needed, but
unlike the existing factory buildings, create a
recognisable image for the company as a whole.
From the very beginning, the modest site
for this building was dominated by the unusual
and intimidating scale of steel structures
towering above the surrounding grey and dusty
industrial area. Huge mountains of raw material,
grey smoke, dusty steel structures and factory
workers and machines covered with fine cement
powder, made for an unforgettable sight. The
new building was to be built on a small plot next
to the factory’s entrance gate, with the colossal
industrial silos as its visual backdrop.
Reading the surroundings, considering
the dominating scale of the factory and
keeping in mind the limitation of budget, one
thing was very clear: this building had to be a
unique object, almost like a sculpture with a
strong colour, to make it stand out within the
dusty setting.
The building had a simple plan: Rooms were

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 Top Left: Drawing of the
Red Lab with the factory
backdrop
Top Right: Ground floor
plan and sections of the
building

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 PROVOCATEUR>Abstract Forms

Architecture, as
a complicated
form of art, can
and does make a
difference

building a unique sculptural look. On the one The Chief Engineer was right. Architecture,
hand the abstract building form recalled the as a complicated form of art, can and does make
factory’s abstract cement-producing machines. a difference. There are places where a building
On the other, it confirmed the plasticity of needs to fit in. There are places where a building Project Data:
cement as a building material that enabled the needs to stand out. Deciding what to do, when, Client: Counto Microfine
Products Pvt. Ltd.
creation of abstract architectural forms. how and why, is what the art of architecture is Architect: Sachin Agshikar
To accent the visual qualities of the all about. Structural Engineer:
sculptural building further, it was uniformly Madhav Kamat and
rendered in bold red. This monochromatic Associates
Sachin Agshikar is a practicing architect based in Mumbai, whose Electrical Consultant:
exterior not only helped in reading its bold Ms. Tamba Electricals
work includes numerous housing, hotel, school and market hall
forms and deep shadows, but also accentuated projects. He formerly worked with the noted architect Charles Contractor: Alcon
its presence as a red jewel amongst all the grey Correa as an associate on the Cancer Research Centre for the Construction
utilitarian factory structures. Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon. Cost: `80,00,000

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 CULTURE CORNER>Urban Delight
...local road
...what lies around the corner ...first view of the carriage stalls
...two rows of symmetrically placed trees ...symmetrically placed lions
The Art of Approach
Contributed By Shyam Khandekar
E very designer knows the problem of placing a large
building in a large space. Where and how does one place
it in the landscape? How and when, while approaching
it, must it be seen? How does one build up the drama so that
the final approach is befitting the complex? While there are
multiple ways of answering these questions, the renowned
Gordon Cullen wrote often about how ‘sequential vision’ – a
series of views while moving through a city or landscape – can
enhance the visual experience.
During my recent visit to the Vallee de L’Ourcq in France,
I saw an excellent example of how the art of approach and
entrance had been applied in the Chateaux de la Trousse.
The Chateaux is placed on one of the higher points of the
landscape of rolling hills, but it is surrounded by trees in such
a way that as one approaches it over the local road from the
north it is invisible. However, the entrance to the Chateaux is
87URBANDELIGHT-23/chateaux.indd 87
...the majestic drive ...group of bushes
...main building of the Chateaux beyond
...beyond is revealed
‘announced’ by a 400-metre long row of trees placed at right
angles to the local road.
This majestic drive, dramatised by a slight hump in the
landscape, leads to a moment of suspense as the road seems to
end in a group of bushes.
Upon reaching this point, one notices that the road turns
to the right and the viewer is left wondering about what lies
around the corner. About 50 metres down the road one gets
the first view of the carriage stalls of the Chateaux, lined on
both sides of the central axis and the main building of the
Chateaux beyond. Two rows of symmetrically placed trees,
a small wall with symmetrically placed lions and a series of
formal steps complete the process of arrival at the Chateaux.
Progressing through the central hall and the formal room
behind it, the full landscape beyond is revealed. It is time to
rest and take in the landscape – with a glass of wine!
Oct-Dec 2019 • MY LIVEABLE CITY | 87
02/10/19 4:55 PM
 CULTURE CORNER>Urban Delight

City as a Canvas
Contributed by Sachin Agshikar
All these pictures convey a message that there is art all around us in various forms. It could be an ad, lettering on the
floor, a relief on the wall, signage or a tiny shop on the street selling magnets. All we need to do is to keep our eyes
open. Cities are full of art which is not recognised or given much importance. However, together they add to the
beauty of a place, making it more vibrant.

River Worship as Sacred Art

Contributed by Vinayak Bharne

The performance of a sacred ritual can become

as much a sublime form of public art as a
choreographed performance of an act of faith.
The parallel images to the right of the page
show how the cityscape at the Dashashvamedha
Ghat (stepped riverbank) along the River
Ganga changes during the course of the day.
Located in the sacred city of Varanasi in India,
in the mornings the place is a maze of sacred
commerce with flower vendors, fortune tellers
and priests. But, come sundown, the platforms
are cleaned and transformed into an enormous
linear stage for the daily worship of the River
Ganga. The crowds gather on the river bank and
in boats in the river itself. Young priests from
proximate temples and monasteries perform
the aarti (lamp ritual) in synchrony along the
water’s edge. The ghats display the Hindu idea of
worship as a public crescendo, a kaleidoscopic
holy spectacle along a colossal ‘sacred rialto’, if
ever there was one.

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 CULTURE
CULTURE
CORNER>Amstredam
CULTURE CORNER>Amstredam
city city
CORNER>Urban Delight

Lighthouses of Knowledge
Contributed by Vinayak Bharne

In the 1990s, the city of Curitiba, Brazil, initiated the Faróis
de Saber (Lighthouses of Knowledge) project. More than
40 brightly coloured, lighthouse-shaped towers were built
throughout the city’s low-income neighbourhoods, marking
each community with an artistic gesture. At the base of each
lighthouse is a free education centre, which includes a library,
Internet access and other cultural resources for citizens of all
ages. Created with the goal of diversifying access to knowledge
and expanding the means of formal education, these
community facilities have a collection of approximately 5000
books and work directly with municipal schools. Thanks to this
initiative, Curitiba today not only has the lowest illiteracy rate
in the country, but also tops the list in education amongst all of
Brazil’s capitals.

Lighthouse of Knowledge in the

Bacacheri barrio in Curitiba

PHOTO: DEYVID SETTI AND ELOY OLINDO SETTI/ WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

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 CULTURE
CULTURE
CORNER>Amstredam
CULTURE CORNER>Amstredam
city city
CORNER>Urban Delight
Whose Venice?
Contributed by Vinayak Bharne
Below are three images of Venice, one of the most famous cities
in the world.
The first image is a photo of the Venice skyline taken from
the deck of a cruise ship. This is the stereotypical image of the
city on the water, marked by Saint Mark’s Basilica Campanile
(bell-tower) and Doge’s Palace. This is how the city has been seen
for centuries as trading ships arrived at the Rialto.
The second image is of the interior of the Venetian, a
luxury hotel located on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada, USA. It
uses Venice, Italy, as its blatant design inspiration and features
replicas of many of the city’s landmarks. This image shows the
replication of a Venetian canal (down to the striped clothing of
the boatmen) against the backdrop of high-end retail stores, all
within an air-conditioned mega-building. Many would criticise
this place as inauthentic and fake.
The third image is a painting of Venice by my ten-year-
old daughter. It reveals her aspiration to visit this city. Her
fascination for Venice comes from the idea of a city whose
Interior of the Venetian, Las Vegas
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90URBANDELIGHT-23/venice.indd 90
streets are made of water, as shown in this image of the Rialto
Bridge and gondolas. The profile of Saint Mark’s bell tower seen
in the backdrop, is an inauthentic, yet clever device to make this
cityscape recognisable to all.
Venice, means many things to many people. The city as an
artistic entity is open to be claimed by anyone the way they wish.
This personalisation is a way of exerting a relationship with the
city, however inauthentic it may be.
In fact, Saint Mark’s Bell Tower tells a great story in this
regard: When the original tower collapsed in 1902, a great
debate ensued among the Venetians: Was this irrevocable
destiny that consigned the monument to memory? Was it ethical
to restore the tower to its former glory? Was it appropriate to
redesign the tower in a new form for a new age? The answer is
there for us all to see: The Venetians, unperturbed by intellectual
dialogue, chose to restore the missing link in their skyline. It
may not have been authentic, but Venice without the tower was
unthinkable to them.
PHOTO: MARIO ROBERTO DURÁN ORTIZ/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
The Venice skyline
PHOTO: AUTHOR’S PERSONAL COLLECTION
PHOTO: AUTHOR
Painting of Rialto Bridge
02/10/19 5:08 PM
 CULTURE
CULTURE
CORNER>Amstredam
CULTURE CORNER>Amstredam
city city
CORNER>Urban Delight

City as a Canvas
Contributed by Sachin Agshikar

All these pictures convey a message that there is art all around us in various forms. It could be an ad, lettering on the
floor, a relief on the wall, signage or a tiny shop on the street selling magnets. All we need to do is to keep our eyes open.
Cities are full of art which is not recognised or given much importance. However, together they add to the beauty of a
place, making it more vibrant.

91 URBANDELIGHT-23/canvas.indd 91 03/10/19 2:46 PM

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