Bandstand Junction Park, Bandra West, Mumbai
________________________________________________
|
Plot Area: 4,500 sq.ft.
Location: Bandstand, Bandra (West), Mumbai, India Year: December 2019 to March 2020 Scope of Work: Architecture and Landscape Design |
SMALL INTERVENTIONS, BIG TRANSFORMATION
City is a public realm consisting of different urban elements like streets, lanes, plaza’s, parks, and environmental areas of various scales and proportions. Each of these elements will remain dysfunctional without people being the key feature turning them into places to exchange ideas, socialize, relax and enjoy. Hence the planning and designing each of these urban elements is of utmost importance to improve the quality of life. The physical built environment has a major impact on human behaviour.
Mumbai a metropolitan city, compactly populated on the west coast of India, expanding along the North - South axis there is minimal scope for expansion. Growth and development has taken away the crux of the environment. Hence, the aim is to have small interventions within different zones of the city which will help reorder the fabric and bring sense of the city.
These public interventions will be about reviving the space within the neighbourhood, creating a function for the people and the community. Renovation of spaces within the city like the abandoned public parks at Bandstand, Bandra West, Mumbai is being revived with minimal design intervention, by improving the flow of spaces, furniture, views, greenery and lighting can totally set a new pattern of use. Jogger’s Park at Bandra has a new play area specially designed for kids, changing the perception of people along with beautification of the entire park. Almeida Park also situated in Bandra in the centre of the urban development will form a world within itself of natural biodiversity. The enhancement of these public parks within the city of Mumbai, will help redefine tranquillity in the future. But shaping places in the city to connect people isn’t only about the parks and plazas, the streets and footpaths also has an important role apart from being used for transportation, they also are a spot for socializing. Streets are versatile and provide for a bunch of activities. People exchange more ideas and have several opportunities for interaction on the streets than in parks. Hence, enhancing these spaces to form pedestrian friendly zones, at the same time giving equal importance to the vehicular traffic as well. Converting the voids (negative space) to more usable (positive spaces), like the traffic junctions and islands and transforming them into artistic landmarks which has the power to cognitive being registered in our minds. 
Cities similar to Mumbai have a large volume of pedestrian traffic, hence to restructure it and provide good infrastructure is the ultimate goal. Good city quality is recognized when there are activities provided considering each of the human senses along with good conditions for people to walk. Therefore, the idea is to intervene a little in the urban fabric, streamline spaces and enhance everyday experience as much as possible by forming a healthy and livable city, as attention to the small scale city planning tools will give better results because life happens on foot.
|
|
|
|
|