Mayank Nigam

UD4006

From Realm to Realty traces Ghuma’s transformation as a microcosm of peri-urban change in Ahmedabad, revealing how public realm restructuring can guide rather than be displaced by real estate growth. Once agrarian, Ghuma now faces formal gated developments on its edges and informal, rental-driven densification at its core. This spatial duality leads to fragmented, privatized public spaces. The project proposes reclaiming and structuring the public realm as civic infrastructure—activating edges, reusing courtyards, and improving street networks—to ensure inclusive, equitable development where real estate and community legacy can grow together.