BENGALURU: According to the data released by the department of economic and social affairs of the United Nations , there will be 13.2 million people living in Bengaluru in 2050. Efficient urban planning and equitable distribution of resources will have a direct bearing on how we live in the future.With this background, academics, researchers, anthropologists and students gathered for Urban Arc 2017, the first edition of the three-day annual research conference dedicated to debate urban transitions in the global south. The Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) is hosting researchers to share their findings on subjects like sustainable city planning, politics of public spaces, and the way citizens respond to changes in their environment.A panel discussion on 'A city in flux – examining transition in Bengaluru', on Thursday covered everything from the politics of street art to who can lay claim to public spaces. Using the example of the Danvanthri underpass , the walls of which students of Srishti institute of art, design and technology tried to save from being painted white, Arzu Mistry, from the institute pointed out how public places can be sites of effective expression."Every time the BBMP painted the walls white all over, the students would combat it by painting the standard images BBMP would depict in earlier times, in a sort of a plea to the BBMP to retain the beauty of the road. While we need development and improved resources, there will always be a contesting claim to retain the existing beauty, it is this dichotomy that we need to address,” she said.Among the other panelists, Salila Vanka, a professor at R V college of architecture, who presented on the subject of public space utilization in Bangalore, separated the notions of civil and political society in her discourse, categorizing the latter as being more likely to be vocal about changes to their environment."In the 1600s, Bangalore used to be a military town. Today, it’s a mega metropolis. The exponential growth of the last 20 years has seen public parks shrinking with several restrictions on what can be done inside. More and more we see that upper class standards of health, sanitation and other notions have come to shape the way we design our public spaces," she theorized.Apart from panel presentations, the conference also had a display of the work of five artists, who explored the themes of self and city through various lenses. Usha Rao , an anthropologist and documentary filmmaker had an installation that was an audio clip of the sounds one would normally hear in any bustling city like the rainshowers, television playing in a café and people chattering."It is the soundscape of my version of the city. The absence of the visual aspect makes the listener react to the sounds in an intimate fashion," she said. She added that the pace of development should not come at a human cost. "The global aesthetic that we are aspiring for as a city needs to be sustainable. The city cannot be fetishized, people actually live here and they must accommodate that," she said.