New Delhi, May 3 -- Being a new parent transforms one's relationship with their city. The park is central to this change as it becomes an essential third space. These outings are not merely recreational, but also require active engagement with everything, from the grass to the play area and even the security guards. And such interactions can lead to an abiding relationship with a city's parks. Something similar happened to Mumbai resident Anca Florescu Abraham, 44, when she became a mother about a decade ago, and started frequenting local parks.

An interior designer and landscape artist, Abraham, who lives in Khar West, soon realised there were some niggling pain points in parks, besides the fact that as public spaces they were untapped....