Commoning the Landscape

The erasure of Urban Commons is probably the most recurring phenomenon in post Independent India. That can be traced through environmental history as well urban policies. Resulting in de-commoning through processes of land transfer and conversion into ‘public projects.’ It is here that a distinction needs to be made between ‘public spaces’ (a formalized anti-thesis to private property) and ‘commons’ – wealth of valuable assets shared by everyone. Building upon the voices of associated disciplines, calling for ‘recognition of commons’, the intent of the studio is an enquiry into the role of Landscape Architecture to both strengthen the ongoing argument as well as position its contribution. The methodology of this enquiry will stem primarily from delving into the concepts of commons, through qualitative documentation across a geography. The process is to foreground the occurrence, and the fundamentals of the space, enabling one to sieve their distinct relational attributes. Thereby not only disseminating knowledge of commons but its possible reconfiguration and strengthening in contemporary society that represents imbalance, both social and ecological. More importantly, is to enable the discipline to exercise a new ‘vocabulary’ of expression by ‘commoning the landscape’.