India is in the midst of an infrastructure age. Over the past few decades, cities and towns across the country have been transformed through a wave of rapid development: airports, expressways, metro systems, flyovers, ports, and water supply networks are being built at an unprecedented pace. This explosion of infrastructure is reshaping urban landscapes and extending far beyond city boundaries, driving economic growth and altering how people live, move, and connect.
InfraCulture
This infrastructure fetish is justified by the need for ‘development’ in the country. While the country, and its cities are in dire need of planned and managed infrastructure, the scale and extent of this should urge us to reconceptualise infrastructure in terms of different questions: What counts as infrastructure, and who counts as its beneficiaries, its public? Who builds it? Who owns it? Who pays for it? How does it contribute long-term to the quality of life of those affected by it? By what logic and through what processes is infrastructure produced and appropriated? What are its hidden environmental, social, cultural and economic impacts? More specifically, what is the everyday social life it produces?
As Indian cities grapple with issues of sustainability, equity, and urban liveability, there is a crucial need to reimagine infrastructure. We advocate for a fundamental shift in both the thinking and planning of infrastructure, as well as a transformation in the very nature of infrastructure spaces—what we call ‘Infraculture’.
Infrastructure shapes the pulse of urban life—dictating movement, access, and interaction. Yet, in its current form, it often alienates rather than connects. Infraculture challenges this paradigm, reimagining infrastructure not as a rigid technical system but as a living, cultural organism
What qualifies as infrastructure? Who benefits from it?
Who builds it? Who owns it? Who pays for it?
What is the everyday social life it produces?
Through a series of public programmes, workshops, and collaborations we aim to reframe the massive infrastructure upgradation ongoing in our cities through social and cultural frameworks. Dividing into categories of water, mobility, governance and economics, we delve into the city’s infrastructure through multidisciplinary lens.
Our aim with this programme is to co-create strategies with policymakers, experts, and citizens that move beyond critique to real, scalable interventions.
What should Infrastructure do?
Beyond Problem Solving and Utility
At present, infrastructure in Indian cities is envisioned through a narrow lens—prioritizing speed, connectivity, and efficiency, while neglecting its broader role in shaping urban society. The first step in this programme is to unpack the political, economic, and spatial forces driving infrastructure development and examine how Bangalore’s proposed mega-projects may exacerbate existing challenges of inequality, exclusion, and ecological degradation.
Water and the City
Stormwater as Opportunity, NOT a Problem
Our work on the K100 project demonstrated how Bengaluru’s neglected water systems could be reimagined as flood-resilient urban spaces that also serve public life. This segment focuses on how stormwater infrastructure can be transformed through integrating them with the everyday urban life of their surroundings.
Rethinking Mobility.. the WAY forward?
Build for Connection, Not for Speed
Transit corridors, flyovers, and expressways dominate India’s urban mobility discourse, but these projects rarely consider their impact on social cohesion, environmental sustainability, or the local economy. As urban designers, we seek to challenge the over-prioritization of car infrastructure and explore alternative visions of mobility that integrate social life, convenience, local economy and liveability.
Infrastructure and the Public Realm
Designing for Ownership and Accountability
Throughout history, rapid urbanization—during industrialization, post-war reconstruction, or economic booms—has necessitated new governance structures, redefining the roles of the public, state, and private sector. Bengaluru is at this critical juncture today. As the city expands, fragmented governance must evolve to ensure inclusive, accountable, and future-ready urban management.
Economics and Ethics of Infrastructure
Who Pays? Who Benefits?
Every infrastructure project is shaped by funding structures, governance models, and decision-making processes. This section unpacks the financial mechanisms behind urban mega-projects, questioning who benefits from large-scale infrastructure investment and whether alternative economic models can create more inclusive, people-driven development.
Towards an Infraculture
Actionable Strategies for Future Urban Systems
Bringing learning from across the program, we look to co-create strategies with policymakers, experts, and citizens that move beyond critique to real, scalable interventions.
