A common sight on entering many of these parks is a board prominently displayed with a list of prohibited activities. (wikimedia commons)
Our popular imagination of parks is as spaces for rest and recreation. But in cities such as Bengaluru, they are also important from an ecology and equity perspective. It is, therefore, unfortunate that little attention is paid to these pockets of greenery that contribute to making life bearable in a rapidly concretising city. Equally concerning is that parks are becoming battlegrounds for determining who can access them, for what purposes and at what times of the day.
Bengaluru as ‘Garden City’
Cubbon Park and Lal Bagh are historical landmarks in the city. If Bengaluru can still cling to the moniker of “Garden City”, it is owing to the continued existence of these parks. But scattered across neighbourhoods are also smaller parks in different shapes and sizes that are tucked away in quieter nooks or flanked by roads, houses, and shops. The tree cover is often a mix of native and exotic species with flowering species adding a splash of colour and canopies providing shade that sometimes extend across almost half an acre. In the better-maintained ones, we can see more footfall — mostly residents who live nearby and frequent the park for walks, the elderly conversing on the benches, pet owners walking their dogs, and children playing. More recently, open-air gyms with a variety of exercise machines have been introduced in these spaces as well.
Whatever the different spatial, ecological, or demographic dimensions, one common feature of most neighbourhood parks in Bengaluru is the timing. They remain open only for a few hours in the morning and in the evening. For the rest of the day, the gates of these fenced parks remain firmly shut — and locked.
Urban Lab at the Centre for Science and Environment’s recent report highlights how rising temperatures together with relative humidity pose a deadly combination in six megacities including Bengaluru. The city has seen of 0.5 degrees C increase in decadal ambient temperature, and relative humidity has marginally contributed to overall heat discomfort. Coupled with this is the urban heat island effect — the result of an increase in built-up area because of urbanisation.
Parks as spaces to rest and socialise
Temperatures in Bengaluru city have been breaking records this summer — going as high as 41.8 degrees C. While rainfall brought some relief last week, the days continue to be uncomfortably hot making parks scattered across the city appear like refreshing oases. In reality, however, they are more of a mirage because when the sun is at its peak, the parks remain closed denying access to people who desperately need the shade in the day.
These include the pourakarmikas who work in the sweltering heat to keep our city clean, the construction workers engaged in endless repair work on the roads, and gig workers who could do with a brief respite while rushing between deliveries. Heat risk and strokes can be debilitating, even fatal. Recognising this, the Labour Department of Kerala in April this year rescheduled work timings banning any work in the open between 12 pm and 3 pm. But can a gig worker afford the luxury of working fewer hours?
Timing is not the only restriction. A common sight on entering many of these parks is a board prominently displayed with a list of prohibited activities. Some of them are understandable considering the park is a public space such as warnings against alcohol consumption, smoking, throwing plastic and other waste, and damaging trees. Others seem unreasonable such as prohibiting the plucking of flowers, sitting or walking on grass, or bringing in eatables. In some parks, perhaps because of the smaller size, the rules border on bizarre — such as children being prohibited from playing or riding a bicycle! Another issue that especially splits residents is regarding allowing entry to pets, especially dogs.
Parks are public spaces where urban residents from all walks of life can unwind and relax — potential places for social bonding among people. So we should be concerned that they are turning into mini battlegrounds instead.
Make parks accessible, inclusive
We need to collectively rethink park use and access in Bengaluru — and reimagine them as multiuse green spaces accessed by different groups at different times of the day. Parks, of course, need protection from being converted to other forms of land use; but also, from being increasingly concretised. Should the limited space in the neighbourhood park be retained as green cover to mitigate the impacts of rising temperatures and the urban heat island effect? Or should the trees and plants be removed to accommodate exercise machines? Parks can be for recreation — for walking, exercising or spending an evening with family. They are also ideal from an educational perspective for children, especially from schools in the neighbourhood who can learn about the natural world.
Even a small patch of green in their neighbourhood park is a perfect field site for observing biodiversity from insects to birds to mammals. Parks can be a refuge for urban residents from all walks of life. For office goers, they are a perfect spot to have lunch under the shade of a tree before heading back to a walled office. They provide succour for the city’s vulnerable population such as the pourakarmikas, construction labour and gig workers giving them a respite, however brief, from the scorching heat while at work.
Getting different groups to agree on the use and maintenance of a park will not be easy. But we need to take the first step, however tiny, in making parks more accessible and inclusive, not to mention ecologically rich. The more people access parks with a sense of ownership, the more eyes on the park there will be which will in turn contribute to making them safer. But we also want these eyes to be kind, and inclusive, allowing different groups to access parks freely throughout the day.
The writer is faculty, Azim Premji University
