DUAC gets public-friendly, plans lecture series

The Delhi Urban Art Commission is planning to involve public in a series of events in February as a mark its 40th anniversary.

In the past, the body has often been accused of not having a connect with the public. In order to shed its “elitist” image, the statutory body is planning to actively engage the public from now.

The Delhi Urban Art Commission is likely to hold lectures which will be open to public.

“The celebrations will be inclusive of the common man. The lectures will not be a glorification of what the capital has achieved so far but will focus on what the city will achieve in the coming years,” said Sonali Rastogi, a DUAC member.

The body is yet to decide on the final list of panelists. But the panel will include experts from a wide range of fields to break down urban planning for the public.

Economists, environmentalists, architects, urban planners, engineers, painters, Transport Department experts and architects will express their ideas in a series of lectures.

What will set apart the event from previous ones held by the DUAC, is not only the inclusion of experts from a wide range of fields but also the voice of the public.

“There will be a segment in the programme in which the common man can voice his perception of the city. There is much more to a city than just the architecture. He can recap his experiences with the cultural heritage, food and other memories associated with the city. He can also speak of the change that he has seen in Delhi,” said Rastogi.
Design competition

To involve citizens, the DUAC is also planning to start a “design competition”. Participants can enter the open-ended competition by conceptualising on anything that is “related to the city” — be it on safety issues or a green city. They can contribute in the form of building a model, developing an application or making a video on the subject.

A public art initiative is also to be launched and a network of roads to be identified. “There is a plan to introduce public art and later, a public art network for Delhi,” said Rastogi.

In another initiative to be public-friendly, the DUAC had recently included public views while simplifying the existing Building Bye Laws.