Influence of Planning on Physical Activity in Public Spaces: A Case Study of Chirag Delhi Ward, New Delhi, India

Abstract

This chapter explores the ways in which the state influences the physical activitiesPhysical Activity of a city by governing public spacesPublic space. By taking the example of open public spaces such as public parks and open gymsOpen gym, it aims to evaluate the techniques and methods of influencing/governing the physical activities in the city being studied. The study was conducted in the Chirag Delhi ward of South Delhi, India. By deploying a mix of qualitative methods such as multi-sited ethnography and in-depth, unstructured interviews, the study sheds light on the uneven distribution of gyms, associated politics, and governance challenges faced by the cities of the Global South. The study uses the Human Capital ModelHuman Capital Model (HCM) of Physical ActivityPhysical Activity to argue that across unplanned and planned areas, the nature, methods, and spatiality of physical activity varies. Through a critical reading of legal planning documents such as the Master Plan of Delhi, it situates public spaces and physical activities within the contours of planning in the city. By discussing recurring themes surrounding physical activitiesPhysical Activity in the city, such as the role of language and the influence of the male gazeMale Gaze, it touches upon issues that have been underexplored in the scholarship on physical activity and governance. The chapter shows that the influence of the state through the Master Plan in both planned and unplanned territories is contested and negotiated in the everyday life of the city. Given that urban planning has been recognized as a multi-sectoral action aimed at achieving an active or healthy city, the informalized nature of planning in India not only defines the characteristics of such a plan but also the ways in which it influences the nature and execution of those physical activitiesPhysical Activity.