‘Parks must grow equity by including the urban poor’

Harini Nagendra teaches ecology and sustainability at Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. She tells Times Evoke about environmental justice in parks:


Over time, the urban garden has changed. Once, many middle class Indians lived in bungalows which had patches where you could grow flowering plants, fruits and even trees. Today, most reside in apartments where the space available to a person overall has shrunk. That includes the space for a garden, which now mostly means some potted plants on a balcony. This is heavily conditioned by the direction an apartment faces — if it doesn’t get much sun, that restricts what can be grown. Alongside, the choices of plants have changed — earlier, people grew a rich variety, from ornamental roses to plants with medicinal uses like turmeric or food like tomatoes and coriander. These were often native plants which strengthened biodiversity — with them came pollinators and thus, ecosystem services remained stable. With balcony gardens, people want a different aesthetic, often seeking exotic plants which can’t be utilised much.



Meanwhile, access to public gardens has shrunk — an intangible but powerful environmental social structure determines this. Economic class is a huge deciding factor here. Many gardens permit people only in the morning and evening and stay shut through the day. This is limiting for children who study in government schools with no playground areas — they can’t run about in these open spaces during school hours. This also limits working class people — once, it was common to see an autorickshaw driver or a street vendor resting in the shade of a park. Now, they frequently find the gates locked during the day and must perforce remain on the hot streets.

CAN I SIT HERE? Environmental equity includes the right of diverse groups to access gardens. Photo: iStock




The idea of what these gardens are for has also changed. Many are meant now only for recreation, walking or bird watching but not foraging — yet, this is extremely important for low income communities who need a bit of firewood or medicinal plants in the city. Several parks unhesitatingly restrict their ability to both enter or use the gardens though. At times, the ban is explicit, with residents’ associations stating they will decide the right to entry — this usually means anyone who appears underprivileged will find it harder to go in and sit down on the benches. Yet, access to a garden is key for human beings.



Over half the world lives in cities today and that number is only growing exponentially. A city embodies energy but also causes alienation and stress, from the physical strain of pollution, crowds, etc., to mental weariness. A garden is the one place a citizen can relax and by touching grass or watching birds, even refresh their connection with the natural world — in the Anthropocene, where we stand to lose much of nature, this is crucial. We need to be bonded to ecology to even care about it. For many, this is enabled by public gardens. Providing environmental equity is thus key. Many park timings and restrictions should be renegotiated. Dismantling class barriers can also be achieved by involving groups working with less empowered communities like people in informal settlements or street cleaners. Their voice needs to be heard by those who run parks. It is no one’s argument to provide untrammelled access, uncontrolled foraging, etc., but imaginative equity can be reached.

ONCE, I WAS A LAWN: As urban gardens shrink to balconies, they redefine our link with nature. Photo: iStock


In Lalbagh, Bengaluru, our research found the women who clean the garden are amazing foragers — they carry a deep traditional knowledge of plants. Today, urban foraging expeditions are led by celebrity chefs. It would be fitting to also have women workers like these take people through gardens and explain the plants there. This could also help right an unbalanced hierarchy with respect being given to the wisdom and dignity of a certain group. An ideal garden now should include both biodiversity and diversity among humanity.