The imperceptible stakeholders- Including the natural world within the urban realm

Urban animals are an integral part of Indian society, both culturally and religiously. Yet the development models for our cities have always ignored these ever-present ‘imperceptible stakeholders’ and have prioritized economy over sustainability. This has resulted in global issues like climate change and the loss of ecological diversity. As urban practitioners, we seldom plan and design for the ‘imperceptible stakeholders’ who are fundamental to the everyday life of our societies. It is critical for us to work with nature and to be more accommodating of it within our cities. Jaipur, the first planned city of India, by its design had included nature as a strong part of its urban realm. Higher rates of unplanned urbanization since the 1990s have led the city to sprawl manifolds. This new growth has created many conflicts between humans and nonhumans. But at the same time, many of the nonhumans are loved and even worshipped by the people. This research analyses these strong cultural roots that tie humans with nature aiming to come up with a replicable urban design policy framework and guidelines that can help create sustainable and inclusive urban environments. The framework proposes the inclusion of urban forest corridor networks housing the urban animals which also creates an open space structure by linking various low-income group communities to their workplaces. Animal welfare centers are to become a part of the mandatory social infrastructure and the urban fringes to provide sanctuaries for stray urban animals. New cultural roots are generated by making the nonhuman life visible within the public realm. By understanding our interdependencies with the natural world, we can create cities where the imperceptible stakeholders of today can be the legal citizens of tomorrow.