When the city authorities failed to address the needs of the community, We called this meeting to find mutual support and solutions.  It was necessary for artists, environment lawyers, urban planners, botanists, architects, engineers, businessmen, and active community to come together imagining new possibilities and with a set of skills to build them. I saw it as an opportunity to devise and carry out the substantial change. The initiation of building a park in this neighborhood allowed an open-ended method of civic investigation.

We resisted the awful construction plan and submitted a petition to the concerned authorities demanding this space to be a community park.  The city’s opportunistic growth and rapid urbanization have dramatically reduced the open spaces. News reports, one after another, continue to reveal how land mafias have encroached the public lands for personal benefits. If the current pace continues, with the backing from political leaders, there will be no open spaces available to the public. Stopping the authorities from implementing their one-sided plans annoyed them. Though they hesitated for the interaction we invited them to talk openly and find resolves. These meetings often ended with little positivity but the assurance wasn’t coming directly from their side. To stay alert, we shared our experiences, recognized people’s energy as a precious resource, used the influences within a community, and developed strategies to succeed.