Local Action in and on Urban Open Spaces of Hyderabad

Angela Jain and Tobias Kuttler

A chapter in Local Action and Participation: Approaches and Lessons Learnt from Participatory Projects and Action Research in Future Megacities, 2014, pp 110-134 from ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics

Abstract: The article examines participatory approaches to negotiating urban street space in Begum Bazaar, Hyderabad, within the Sustainable Hyderabad project. Rapid economic growth, urbanisation, and increasing motorisation have intensified competition for scarce street space, creating conflicts among pedestrians, vendors, businesses, transport workers, residents, and other users. The authors conceptualise urban street space as a potential commons whose sustainable and socially just use requires the inclusion of diverse local perspectives. Their intervention combined six months of local engagement, participant observation, qualitative interviews, and a two-day Citizens' Exhibition presenting participants' experiences and views. The process successfully broadened the existing debate, strengthened awareness, and created opportunities for interaction among socially diverse groups. However, important actors, particularly women and government officials, remained underrepresented. The authors conclude that such exhibitions cannot resolve complex spatial conflicts alone. Instead, they should serve as the starting point for long-term, inclusive participation, supported by neutral moderation, stronger local institutions, and coordination between citizens and urban authorities.

Keywords: Local Participation; Urban Conflicts; Street Space; Urban Commons; Urban Space; South Asia; Urban Development; Urban Planning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/343420/1/07Local-Action-Jain-Kuttler.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:eschap:343420

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in EconStor Open Access Book Chapters from ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics ().