I wrote an article called ‘In-between urbanism: The physical, functional, socio-cultural, and identity-forming role of the otla in informal settlements in Ahmedabad’ recently published in the journal Habitat International.

I’m interested in the spaces that support community - particularly women and children - in high density, low income housing. In this article I examine the built environment of informal settlements in Ahmedabad (India) and their unique architectural feature called the otla, a versatile front porch space that supports a multitude of activities. These spaces typically do not exist in high density, modernist, high rise apartments which report poor outcomes for residents. What can we learn from these informal settlements and a study of how otlas are used?

Kali Marnane (2023) ‘In-Between Urbanism: The physical, functional, socio-cultural, and identity-forming role of the otla in informal settlements in Ahmedabad.’ Habitat International. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2023.102912