What role does public open space play in shaping a city over time? In A Measure of Community, landscape architect and researcher Dr. Sridevi Rao draws on decades of fieldwork to explore exactly that — using the historic city of Hyderabad as a lens. It's a thoughtful, research-grounded read for urban planners, architects, students, and anyone passionate about sustainable cities and community-centred design.
📖 About the Book
This book presents empirical data from the case of Hyderabad (1591–1998) to examine how public open spaces evolve as cities grow and change. Dr. Rao challenges the one-size-fits-all approach planners often apply to open space, arguing instead that its value must be understood as a genuine measure of community life.
The work connects directly to Sustainable Development Goal 11, Target 7 — the UN's commitment to providing universal access to safe, inclusive, and accessible green and public spaces. With India's push to develop 100 Smart Cities, this book offers timely, evidence-based insight into how open space changes alongside land use and community development over centuries.
✨ Key Features
- 📚 Deep historical scope: Traces the evolution of public open space in Hyderabad across more than 400 years (1591–1998)
- 🌍 SDG 11.7 aligned: Directly addresses the UN Sustainable Development Goals framework and its application in Indian urban contexts
- 🏙️ Smart Cities relevance: Speaks to India's 100 Smart Cities initiative and the role of open space in new urban development
- 🔬 Empirical research base: Grounded in doctoral research from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi (2003)
- 🌐 Internationally presented: Includes content from papers presented at Future of Places III, Stockholm, Sweden (2015)
- 📐 Compact and accessible: 154 pages — detailed enough to be substantive, concise enough to be practical
💡 Who Will Benefit
- 🏛️ Urban planners and policy makers working on sustainable city development
- 🌿 Landscape architects and environmental designers
- 🎓 Architecture and urban planning students and academics
- 📖 Researchers studying SDGs, smart cities, or South Asian urban history
- 🎁 A meaningful gift for professionals or graduates in urban design, architecture, or sustainability
👩🏫 About the Author
Dr. Sridevi Rao is a Hyderabad-based Landscape Architect with over four decades of experience in practice and teaching. She holds a post-graduate degree in Landscape Architecture and a doctorate — both from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi — and has published and presented work on public open spaces across India and internationally.
📋 Product Specifications
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 154
- Dimensions: 0.33 x 9.02 x 5.98 in
- Publication Date: June 16, 2016
- Author: Sridevi Rao Ph.D.
- Publisher: Books by splitShops
If you're looking for a well-researched, practical resource on public open space and sustainable urban development, A Measure of Community belongs on your shelf — add your copy today.