Exploring A Park for All with the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy

“A Park for All: Planning and Governing Green for Urban Karnataka” is a research report by the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy that examines the role of public parks as essential urban infrastructure in rapidly growing Indian cities, with a specific focus on Karnataka. The report responds to the growing pressures of urbanisation, including loss of green cover, rising temperatures, and declining quality of life, by asking a central question: how can cities remain liveable and inclusive while continuing to grow?

This event marks the launch of the report examining the accessibility, governance, and design of public parks in Karnataka with a special focus on Bengaluru.

Moving beyond a conventional report launch, the event will incorporate multi-layered experiences that combines art and culture, interdisciplinary dialogue, and lived experience and participation. Following the panel, participants can roleplay in an interactive experience zone called: “Inside a Bengaluru Park”, where they can experience a park from different perspectives. This activity reflects on themes of access, safety, maintenance, inclusion, and more.

Panel 1: Planning, Spatial Design, and Ecology

Panelists: Naresh Narasimhan (Mod Foundation), Seema Mundoli (Azim Premji University), Kiran Keswani (Everyday City Lab), and Pravar Chaudhary (Bengawalk).

Panel 2: Governance, Finance, and Maintenance

Panelists: Sathya Sankaran (Rainmatter Foundation), Kaveri Bahure (C40 Cities), Ankit Bhargava (Sensing Local), and LK Atheeq (IAS, Retd.).

Panel 3: Rethinking the ‘Public’ in Public Parks

Panelists: Nalini Sekhar (Hasiru Dala), Jagadeesh MR (MoonArra), Vinay Sarathy (United Food Delivery Partners’ Union), and Ashmira Hamirani (The Association of People with Disability).