way compared to the public space in Phoenix mall that is more elitist.

NG: There is a small problem with this premise. The fact that we are still assuming that Forum Value mall is a public space, but I am trying to say that it is (a mall is) not a public space. Commercial street is a public space because it is a street in the city. The developers of malls could suggest to make another many Value malls for varied cross sections of society, but they do not become public space but remain private spaces that pretend to be public. The reason a mall pretends to be public is to bring in the public and retain foot fall.

TN: If you go to Garuda mall on a Sunday, 25% of the people who are there are there not to buy, because they are here to watch…

VS: 50%

TN: For them it is a form of public space. It is a form of entertainment. For me it is a symbol of the failure of the public spaces in the city. If we have nice public space with other kind of entertain- ment, we have no reason to go into a mall.

SN: The space outside the mall becomes more interesting than the space of the mall.

TN: The Plaza….

SN: The space in front of Garuda/ Forum is a lot more active, it engages better as a public space. It is almost uncontrolled and bogged down activity. It is very free, it is very liberated public space. The threshold is interesting. It engages, better with the road and the building. That interface is very interesting. AS: The other interesting thing is, because we have commercial street as an example, the minute that you take the cars out of commercial street, it stops being a commercial space, it stops being a public space.

TN: That is not true, Commercial street was pedestrian… AS: But it did not work. They had to bring back the cars. There are so many parameters, I think that though you (Naina) begin with saying that this privatisation of public space is contextual. I am not sure that we can define public spaces here as we can define public spaces in the West. You can- not do that. Along the walk here you do things. Public space in India is defined by the number of activities that you do per square kilometer of the way. In the Indian context that makes sense to me. Hence a mall, is not probably a public space, as a park would be, but to the Indian us, who like to walk and experience a few more things it is an event space and we are suckers for it. NG: Is this because of the climate you think? It happens in Dubai. AS: No it is not because of the climate. It is good that we have malls closer now, initially we had only Forum mall and everyone would throng there but now with malls sprouting everywhere else people are visiting them as destinations.

VS: Are more thematic. Like the Las Vegas model. RK: I agree with you (Akhila) that the cultural context of the en masse people is an important fac- for, we are different compared to the rest of the world, and we love the claim to that platform…