Kolkata, November 18, 2025: MyLiveableCity (MLC), the global knowledge platform dedicated to making cities liveable, sustainable and equitable, announces its upcoming international conclave “Public Spaces For All”, in collaboration with Musui Art Foundation (MAF). The three-day event to be held at Tokaroun, Santiniketan, will explore how Art & Culture, Nature & Landscape and History & Heritage can together help shape inclusive public spaces that truly belong to everyone.
Public spaces – the streets and squares, maidans, riverbanks and parks – are the lifeblood of urban life. They are where citizens meet informally every day or gather formally on special occasions. The conclave’s core message is clear and urgent: to recognise the importance of public spaces in cities and to find ways to make them inclusive to all.
The Conclave will bring together speakers and participants from a multitude of disciplines – such as Art and History, Architecture & Engineering, Landscape, Ecology & Forestry, Urban Planning & Environmental Engineering, Culture & Heritage, Real Estate & Marketing, Public Health & Health Psychology – academicians & practising professionals, to strive towards making our cities more liveable and inclusive.
Speakers and experts from India, Netherlands, Belgium, Maltaand USA, will share their knowledge, making the conclave an international platform for knowledge sharing and collaboration. The likes of Conservation Architect – Ms. Gurmeet Sangha Rai, Urban Designer & Architect – Dr Anjan Mitra & Environmental & Landscape Designer-Conservationist – Mohan Rao, amongst others will be there for this three-day conclave.
“This year’s conclave is unlike any of our previously organised ones. Set in Santiniketan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it draws inspiration from the town’s visionary foundations – where art, culture, nature, and heritage coexist in harmony. Each of the three days will focus on one of these themes – Art & Culture, Nature & Landscape, and History & Heritage – with discussions led by renowned international and Indian experts. The conclave will be bringing together shared expertise in urbanism and the arts. Just like it is the gravy in the culinary dish of Matar Paneer which really gives taste to it, so also it is the network of public spaces in cities which gives the city its quality,” said Shyam Khandekar (Indo-Dutch Urban Designer & City Planner), Co-Founder & Director, MyLiveableCity.
“As Indian cities become increasingly densely populated and the fight for space ramps up, we desperately need more public spaces – what we call ‘living rooms for the city’. That Santiniketan had this figured out decades earlier, offering equality, heritage, culture and community, is a great lesson for us all,” said Ms Shashikala Venkatraman, (Business, Brand and Communications Advisor) Co-Founder & Director, MyLiveableCity.
Being a sculptor and having studied in Santiniketan — a place where art and its public context was always interconnected — I feel deeply about art in public spaces. Public art is so much more than just ‘beautifying’ urban spaces by putting artworks in open air. It can be a focal point for a shared space, open thinking and discussion, bringing a perspective to people’s notice or letting them feel that their concerns have a voice. Bringing engaged art into the public sphere, outside of galleries, creates a thoughtful public space and adds a dimension to the community’s quality of life in intangible but invaluable ways. I look forward to the diversity of professional experienced voices in the conclave and the thoughtful ideas that will emerge on this crucial topic. said K S Radhakrishnan (renowned sculptor and founder of Musui Art Foundation)
Participants will also engage in a hands-on Masterclass, a design exercise aimed at reimagining inclusive public spaces, guided by leading practitioners from across the world.
The event is supported by a strong network of partners and sponsors who share the vision of inclusive, sustainable cities. The Title Sponsor for the conclave is the DAIDA Foundation, with Alembic City and Acero as Associate Sponsors. The sessions are supported by Nirlon, Somaiya Group and ICONS/NL as Session Sponsors. Adding an international dimension to the discussions, the Institute for Housing & Urban Development Studies (IHS), Netherlands, and Katholieke Universiteit (KU) Leuven, Belgium join as Knowledge Partners, reinforcing the conclave’s global perspective on urban liveability and public space inclusivity.
The conclusions and learnings from the conclave will be compiled into a digital document of recommendations, to be shared widely with urban authorities, planners, and citizens.
The organisers hope this will help inspire a movement for better liveability through higher-quality, inclusive public spaces, reminding everyone that: “To achieve inclusive public spaces, not only governments but citizens too must fight – for it is our Birth Right”.
