Spatial Aspects of Public Spaces Identified as Sites of Protest. Examining Stakeholder Perspective

Public spaces in cities have also been arenas for civic engagement and political actions like protests. This paper examines the association between protests and spatial aspects of public spaces in the city of Hyderabad from the perspective of stakeholders and agencies concerned. This paper lists and presents the spatial and related aspects mentioned as reasons for identifying some of the public spaces as sites of protests in the city by agencies concerned in response to a questionnaire survey. Through analysis of the responses of the survey participants collected on an agreement scale, the paper indicates which sites and spatial aspects of public spaces in the city are mentioned more by agencies concerned in identifying them as sites of protests. Such an exploration also reveals which spatial aspects better qualify the public spaces as sites of protests as identified by the stakeholders. The study also adds to the current studies on protests and public spaces even as it especially presents a less studied stakeholder perspective on the topic.