India, Aug. 2 -- Over the past few weeks, images of protests have once again dominated television screens and social media feeds. Whether over education reforms, farmers' demands or regional political issues, public debate has largely revolved around the legitimacy of the demands and the disruption they caused. Yet these events also raise a less obvious question, one that belongs as much to urban design as it does to politics. Why do some protests gather in public squares while others occupy highways? Why do some choose university campuses, others government precincts and still others roads that bring entire cities to a standstill?

The answer may lie not only in the nature of the protest, but also in the nature of the city itself. Urban ...