Public, Private and People - Inquiry into the ‘publicness’ of urban spaces Bengaluru

Urban public spaces are vital centres of economic activities and socio - cultural interactions. These spaces are perceived to be a property of the people as their ownership is, normally, vested with the local authorities. However, with an increasing role of private agencies, the perception of ‘public’ is changing, altering its nature and identity. This phenomenon is visible globally - particularly in urban retail spaces such as malls and shopping centres. The manifestation of this trend is examined in Bengaluru, India. Currently, in Bengaluru, due to revenue deficits, the local authorities have turned to the private sector. Publicly owned shopping complexes are being converted to shopping malls, transitioning public spacesto Public Private Partnership (PPP) spaces. Hence, this research is an inquiry into the ‘Publicness’ of retail urban spaces. Three retail urban spaces with different ownerships are assessed to determine their publicness, with a focus on their agency, area, activity, arrangement and atmosphere. The primary aim of the paper is to develop and test a ‘Publicness’ assessment framework that can aid in formulating inclusive design approaches which facilitate a new ‘Public Private People Space (PPPS)’ that is vibrant, safe, accessible, sustainable and healthy for its community.