The concept of the city is perceived differently by different people. It seems that the authorities look at the city as something which needs to be organised, improved, and made more efficient. They widen streets, organise systems, and build connections. At this point, a city becomes something which can be developed, something which can be evaluated in terms of its advancement. The concept of the city begins to find its place within plans and proposals.
 

For those living in the city, it is part of their daily routines and actions, which they do automatically, without having to think much about it. It is part of the comfort in using familiar routes, in returning to familiar markets; of feeling at home despite some places remaining insignificant from other points of view. It is created by memories as well as by the present state of things. Even some incomplete areas evoke feelings of attachment and, sometimes, pride just because they are here forever.
 

Nowadays, the city is often mentioned as an area in association with Delhi—the proximity, the increased connectivity, the RRTS, and even the notion of integrating into the NCR. Seen from an outsider’s point of view, this represents some sort of development, some sort of future that the city will reach. From inside the city, however, the process seems to have several dimensions. While growing, the city becomes something that is difficult to define.

A feeling of connection which is not so easy to part ways with. People keep coming back to the same locations, although it may now take more energy to do so. They stay attached to the same routines, even though these routines have been made harder by time. It’s a subtle pride for the city, not due to its perfection, but to its familiarity.
 

The same idea of familiarity is at work here when considering the vision for the future of the city. There is an ambition to build better paths, to have smoother mobility, safer zones, and many more places where one can sit and just be. This is not some abstract thought, but rather something that is born out of personal experiences. At the same time, there is a fear that such an organisation will lead to the city’s loss of character.

The people of the city want improvements to be made. Improvements that won’t result in the loss of the city’s intimacy, its recognizability, its connections.
 

This paper is an artefact from the space between the planning of the city and its experience. The space between visibility and feelings. The space between change and desire for permanence.
 

The narrative of the city is never written by one voice alone. It is written by multiple voices, conflicting and complementary, but interconnected.