Hyderabad, June 23 -- By Abhik Sen and Moumita Barman

Time, just like space, is unevenly distributed in urban settings. For cities, recreation has become a casualty of the growing cityscapes. When people do find the time for recreation, they are often met with the question of affordability and accessibility. India's urban planning failures are not limited to waterlogging, traffic, and housing crises; they also extend to its inability to treat recreation as a civic need. Without inclusive recreational infrastructure, most people are left to spend their time in malls or at home.

This is a failure of city design that demands serious intervention. India's Smart Cities Mission claimed it would reinvent urban life, yet libraries barely regist...