Abstract
Urban expansion is a global phenomenon during which many
common spaces, often with complex histories of governance and stewardships
become redefined within prevailing notions of urbanity. However, such commons
often pose challenges that result in conflict with respect to their use, management,
and ownership. In this paper, we use the example of a lake in the South Indian
megapolis of Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore) to look at different changing notions
of urban commons pictured against a backdrop of rapid urbanization, migration,
and landscape change. We look at conflicts at each period of change and argue that
many of these have shaped the landscape of today and perhaps may be responsible
for current notions of ownership associated with the landscape. We combine
landscape change analysis through geospatial means along with official archival
records, oral narratives, and secondary information sources to describe gradual
loss of an urban commons. We then pose that knowledge of historical contexts of
access to ecosystem services, exclusion, conflict, and the mechanisms of conflict
resolution around urban commons can help understand trends in contemporary
management of commons. This knowledge would help shape more equitable and
ecologically robust policy frameworks that govern these vulnerable resources.