Blogs By Our Fellows

Source:https://citizenmatters.in/dehradun-citizens-forum-mayoral-dialogue-local-governance/, 2025 After spending the first few weeks of the fellowship immersed in legal frameworks and state-level policies, I found myself at a crossroads. The gap between policy and practice was clear, as I’d concluded in the earlier blog, but I didn’t want this to become yet another story of how things don’t work. I […]

The decentralisation of urban governance was envisioned in the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act (CAA) of 1993, marking a significant step toward citizen participation. One of its key priorities, Article 243S, called for the formation of Ward Committees (WCs) in all municipalities with a population of 3,00,000 or more.. These committees were intended to act as […]

Area Sabha meeting at Ward 183 in Palavakkam, Chennai Source:https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/area-sabhas-the-ground-that-remains-to-be-covered/article69443930.ece As my study on Participatory Governance progressed, one thing became increasingly evident that participation cannot thrive in isolation. It needs structure, support, and a systemic foundation. In our effort to understand what makes participation truly effective, the first category that emerged in our framework was […]

In my pursuit of understanding the complexities of public spaces in urban settings, the U-CAN Fellowship gave me the opportunity to engage closely with adolescents in Jaipur through WRI India’s Safe, Vibrant, and Healthy Public Spaces (SVHPS) initiative. Although I have always recognised the scarcity of inclusive public spaces in the city, these interactions helped […]

Listening to Lived Realities Through my fieldwork in Jaipur’s neighbourhoods, I’ve spent time speaking with adolescent girls about their experiences in public spaces. These conversations have stayed with me – not just because of what they said, but how familiar their struggles felt across different parts of the city. The following diary-style entries are drawn […]

As Jaipur grapples with creating safe, vibrant public spaces for its youth, looking outward at global and national examples can spark fresh ideas. In exploring inclusive public space design, I studied standout case studies – from Medellín’s “library parks” to UN-Habitat’s youth-led digital placemaking – to understand how other cities have tackled issues similar to […]