Rebel Bodies Rebel Cities

Laburpena

Public spaces in Indian cities are not just an agglomeration of buildings but are entwined with complex social processes. The spatial compositions embody different aspirations, needs of people and actions that override what might be the permissible use of space to a more everyday or desired use of space. This ensemble of needs and collectively shaped areas is often read as civic disobedience, violation, and informality and it is opposed even if it contributes to vitality, activation, active frontages or safety. The book Rebel Bodies Rebel Cities continues this theme and puts forth pedagogy and design projects by students that draw upon complexities of an extremely contested urban area in Ahmedabad: Bhadra Fort Precincts. It is a place where several local forces and top-down control together manifest in a myriad of unplanned actions and differing interests on the ground making it one of the most volatile public spaces.