Ahmedabad, parlons! is the annual dialogue series of the Ahmedabad School of Public Policy. It’s a discourse on the city, what makes it, what constitutes it, what creates it and what helps it evolve.
From discussing why there are cows on our roads, to the larger issues of inclusivity and social fabric of the city, from public spaces to informal workers who make the city run, Ahmedabad, parlons! annually brings varied voices on a common platform to talk about issues that matter, in partnership with Alliance Française d’ Ahmedabad.
We take public spaces for granted, most of the time.
In our imaginations, public spaces denote the parks, the footpaths, the promenades and riverfronts and the common amenities for public use. We look at public space from the lens of recreation, not livelihood or homes to be made on.
The imagination of public usage in the average urban mind is about amenities and comfort, and less on its contribution to creating patterns of migration – by providing spaces for work to spaces for homes.
An oft asked question is: who owns public spaces? Is it the state, the citizens or both? And if both, then what is the social contract? Should cars be on our roads rather than cows? Should parking be reserved for vehicles or vendors?
To deliberate some of these topics around urban spaces, we bring you the third edition of our yearly talk series “Ahmedabad, Parlons!”. Over two days, we will get speakers from across the spectrum – city planners, architects, urban designers, activists, public officials, academics and even street vendors and those whose homes get demolished routinely – to tell their stories.
Public Spaces : Who does the city belong to?
Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 April 2024
7:00 pm to 9:00pm
@ The French Gallery
