India, Aug. 18 -- At around 12.30pm, seven-year-old Abu Katada is getting ready for school. His father packs his bag while Abu describes a typical day: school, tuition, home, and sleep.

When asked when he plays, he simply shrugs. "If there's no space, how will we play? The lanes are too small, and it's dangerous," he says. Parks don't even feature in his world.

Abu lives in Ajit Nagar in Shahdara - one of the many neighbourhoods in Delhi where green spaces are either too far, poorly maintained, or simply don't exist. From the packed tenements of northeast Delhi to the concrete sprawl of west Delhi, the city's parks - once considered democratic breathing spaces - are becoming enclaves for the privileged.

Further south, in Jamia Nagar, t...