Reinvigorating Urban Recreation into City Centers: Case of Deccan Gymkhana, Pune

Abstract

Today Recreation in cities often is limited to exclusive means of market consumption to a broader public. Previously recreational public spaces and consumerist private spaces used to maintain modest interaction with each with dedicated functionalities. But, that boundary has somehow blurred over time, now it is a mix of social and commercial functions, presence of global corporations and symbols. Today consumerism and capitalist moves are main forces for shaping our social life, global values are prevailing over local spatial characteristics. Since possibilities in consumerist world are endless and the quantity of tempting, offered goals cannot be exhausted. Simplest definition of Urban Recreation has been defined as activity done within leisure time. Some studies have categorized urban recreation from a sociological point of view, suggesting that it provides civic and social capital, promote economic development, enhance education, establish green infrastructure, and make positive contributions to public health. Traditionally recreation was related to social activity associated within natural setting its during Industrial era we saw legitimization of night time activities as a form of recreation and the beginning of consumerist approach in commoditized space productions. This transformation saw introduction of new organizational forms which exclusively serves consumption and are tailored to capital needs. Today Consumption and individualism came to dominate leisure and recreation, when previously it used to be a shared activity. It now has shifted to passive recreation mostly taking place indoors or in confined environment. Hot spots of new social relations and recreations are places of consumption that are oriented towards amassment of capital. While Capitalism is stimulating the emergence of a very new urban form, City centers are getting the worst of it. City centers still are the main social gathering place for the city, but are in a state of social decline due to consumerist forces. Emerging urban form is directly controlled by private developers. As the nature of activities are inclining more towards consumerism & privatization, the relevance of recreations an act is questionable! This Thesis is an attempt at increasing social inclusivity in the context of urban recreation and re-establishing meaning of urban in the city centre of Pune.