HEARTY OLD MEN, GOSSIPING, SURVEYING

Valuable actors within this community are multitasking, hearty old men. For generations, having resided in the Walled City, they know of every nook and crook like the back of their hands. Often gathered together in small groups, they are found sitting on their charpoys, smoking hookahs, gulping tea, debating politics, settling disputes, and gossiping for hours each day. This activity has been an integral part of their lives for most of their mature adulthood. These men are comparable to security cameras for their neighborhoods - keeping tabs on who bought a new bike, the latest brawl between two cranky women, and forbidden romances – they know it all!

However, this leisure time is being compromised by the heavy traffic in the city, the emergent street vendors, and a deprived sense of privacy. I wonder - what will a space look like, personalized for these stakeholders to keep their communal activity afloat? Should there be a designated space in a particular corner of the neighborhood, partially shaded by trees while these men survey the neighborhood activities with their watchful eyes?

Or, should they be elevated with a customized machine, so they can scan the city from a pedestal while life bustles beneath them?