Shrinking shared spaces in a growing cityscape
Hyderabad is experiencing a shift towards gated communities and self-contained developments, leading to a decline in shared public spaces. While families seek safer neighborhoods with amenities, the isolation of these private spaces limits social interactions and cultural exposure. Urban planners warn that as public areas diminish, residents are forced to create their own gathering spots, reflecting a growing disconnect in the urban landscape.
- ▪Halley Kalyan moved to a gated community for his daughter's safety, but feels limited social interaction.
- ▪Hyderabad's urban landscape is increasingly defined by isolated developments that lack connectivity.
- ▪Young people are gathering in unconventional spaces due to the scarcity of public areas.
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Four years ago, Halley Kalyan moved from Moti Nagar to a gated community in Manikonda for a reason that had little to do with luxury or status. In a rapidly changing Hyderabad, the 40-year-old product manager simply wanted his seven-year-old daughter to have a safe place to ride a bicycle.Back in Moti Nagar, learning to cycle was proving to be a task. Their apartment block had little space beyond a cramped parking area packed with vehicles. Outside, speeding traffic left no safe stretch for a child to wobble through her first cycling lessons.“For days, I struggled to take her out. There was no safe stretch, no open space. Something as basic as cycling became difficult,” he recalls.Today, those worries feel distant.
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