Walkability
Walkability
Brief
What makes a place truly walkable? Is it wide sidewalks and zebra crossings—or something deeper?
Walking is the oldest technology that has been used to know a place, and like most resources, distributed unequally. The same street is a different street depending on who you are, what time it is, what your body requires, and what is at stake. A footpath tells you who the city was designed for, as does a signal, a ramp, and the distance between streetlights (if there are any). A walkable place is not accidental. It is shaped by design, policy, economics, and everyday culture. Our streets and roads determine who moves freely and who rushes, waits, loiters, reroutes, calculates—and who simply stays home.
ArchitectureLive! invites essays/photo-essays that think hard and watch closely: what it means to move, or be moved, stop or be stopped, be invited or be rushed through a place on foot, that hold a specific moment, place, or body in sustained attention and follow it somewhere—formally, critically, speculatively.
Your entry point might be a crossing, a route, a person, a shop, a tree, a street lamp, or a map your body made—and the question of when, how, and for whom. Let it go further than that observation; let it become an argument, a fantasy, an elegy, or a provocation.
Timeline
| Call for submissions opens | April 15, 2026 |
| Deadline | May 31, 2026 |
| Announcement of results | June 30, 2026 |
| Publications of winning entries | July 1, 2026 onwards |
Prizes
Winner
One winner will be selected per category and shall receive the following:
Runners-Up
Two runners-up will be selected per category. Each will receive:
Shortlisted Participants
Five entries will be shortlisted per category. Each shortlisted participant will receive:
JURY FOR ESSAY
Aastha D is an independent writer, educator, and cultural critic trained in architecture (Pune University), with a master’s degree in its Critical Curatorial Conceptual Practices from Columbia University, New York. Alongside her writing practice, Aastha is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Proseterity, a literary arts publication. Through its education vertical, Critiqala, she curates reading circles, workshops, and public programmes that foreground close reading, critical thinking, and interdisciplinary inquiry.
Naresh Fernandes is the editor of Scroll.in, a digital news and culture publication. He is the author of City Adrift: A Short Biography of Bombay and Taj Mahal Foxtrot: The Story of Bombay’s Jazz Age.
Shruti Hemani is an architect and urban designer with over two decades of professional experience across India and the UK. She has worked with NGOs and public – private sector clients on projects ranging from development frameworks, urban design guides and masterplans to regeneration initiatives and inclusive micro-planning for informal settlements. She holds a PhD in Design from IIT Guwahati and is the co-author of Climax City: Masterplanning and Complexity of Urban Growth (RIBA Publishing), winner of the 2020 Urban Design Book Award, UK.
Aastha D
Aastha D is an independent writer, educator, and cultural critic trained in architecture (Pune University), with a master’s degree in its Critical Curatorial Conceptual Practices from Columbia University, New York. Alongside her writing practice, Aastha is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Proseterity, a literary arts publication. Through its education vertical, Critiqala, she curates reading circles, workshops, and public programmes that foreground close reading, critical thinking, and interdisciplinary inquiry.
Naresh Fernandes
Naresh Fernandes is the editor of Scroll.in, a digital news and culture publication. He is the author of City Adrift: A Short Biography of Bombay and Taj Mahal Foxtrot: The Story of Bombay’s Jazz Age.
Shruti Hemani
Shruti Hemani is an architect and urban designer with over two decades of professional experience across India and the UK. She has worked with NGOs and public – private sector clients on projects ranging from development frameworks, urban design guides and masterplans to regeneration initiatives and inclusive micro-planning for informal settlements. She holds a PhD in Design from IIT Guwahati and is the co-author of Climax City: Masterplanning and Complexity of Urban Growth (RIBA Publishing), winner of the 2020 Urban Design Book Award, UK.
Essay
Eligibility Criteria
Submission Format
Submission Guidelines
Essay
Yes. Quotes and references are permitted, provided all sources are clearly attributed within the text. However, referenced or quoted material should not constitute more than 10% of the submission.
No. The use of images or illustrations in the essay category is prohibited and will result in an immediate disqualification.
Submissions received after the deadline will not be considered for evaluation.
Each participant is permitted to submit only one entry per category.
Collaborative submissions are not accepted. All entries must be the sole work of the individual submitting.
All submissions for the essay category must be in English.
Withdrawal requests must be submitted via email before May 31, 2026. Requests received after this date will not be entertained.
There is no entry fee required for participation.
Submissions that are wholly or partly generated using AI tools will be disqualified.
In the event of technical difficulties or submission-related queries, participants may write to Reshma Esther Thomas at reshma@architecture.live, Geethu Gangadhar at geethu@architecture.live, or the ArchitectureLive! administration at admin@architecture.live.
Rights and Reservations: ArchitectureLive! reserves all rights pertaining to the competition, including the right to withdraw, modify, or make final decisions on any aspect of the competition, at its sole and absolute discretion.
Jury: The decision of the jury will be final and binding. No communication will be entertained in this regard.
Participants are requested to refrain from publishing, sharing, or circulating their submitted entry on any platform, medium, or channel until the official announcement of results.
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