Places for People

2023

Reimagining Parks, Plazas & People Places

Context & Problem

Across Bhubaneswar, many small public land parcels were neglected and rarely used. Many were being used as dumpyards, parking lots, or had become overgrown with wild grass within residential areas. As a result, these spaces felt uncomfortable, unsafe, and poorly maintained, with low community ownership, creating a clear need for meaningful public space upgrades.

What Was Done

• 15 site transformations across BMC: CGM upgraded 15 underutilized sites into safe, inclusive, and people-friendly public spaces across parks, streetscapes, plazas, temple precincts, intersections, water bodies, and under-flyover areas using an LQC (Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper) placemaking approach.
• Community-led planning: with consultations and coordination with BMC and residents to understand local needs, daily movement patterns, and site-specific challenges.
• People-first design interventions: Designs included shaded seating, accessible street and plaza furniture, green corridors, improved walkability, murals, landscaping, and designated vendor spaces, with focus on children, elderly users, and everyday pedestrians.
• Climate-appropriate materials: A material palette and design library were developed using locally available materials across paving, landscaping, furniture, artwork, and basic infrastructure.
• End-to-end delivery: Deliverables included working drawings, cost estimates, site layouts, implementation support, and community engagement for long-term stewardship and maintenance.

Key Highlights & Learnings

• Improved walkability: Every site design ensured clear, continuous pedestrian movement, with minimum 2m wide walking paths that are safe and free from obstructions.
• More shared public space: Green mounds, trees, and pergolas were added to create comfortable resting and gathering zones, reducing heat stress and making walking and waiting easier.
• Calmer circulation: Better placement of furniture and designated vendor zones reduced random encroachments and improved pedestrian flow, creating more organised and conflict-free movement.
• Inclusive for everyone: The spaces were designed to be safer and more welcoming for women, children, and elderly users, with improved lighting, open visibility (avoiding dark corners), shaded seating, and safer circulation routes.
• Women-led implementation under MUKTA: The project followed a women SHG-driven implementation model, supporting women masons and strengthening their skills through on-ground capacity building.
• Participation creates ownership: Early and structured community engagement helped shape the designs, reduced rework, and improved long-term care of public spaces.
• Replicable model: Standard design templates, working drawings, and maintenance checklists support faster roll-out of similar placemaking projects in other locations.

2024

Ama Bhoomi - Assuring Mass Access through Bhubaneswar Open Space Ownership and Management

Context & Problem

Bhubaneswar had a fragmented and poorly documented open space inventory, leading to vacant, encroached, or neglected land with limited public access. Rapid growth, rising heat, air pollution, and sedentary lifestyles increased the need for green infrastructure. Against planning standards, over 70% of wards lacked a designated formal park or playground, highlighting a major public space gap.

What Was Done

• City-wide GIS groundwork: Created a geo-tagged GIS database of open spaces and community infrastructure within the BDA area to support evidence-based planning.
• Design and activation support: Provided architectural and landscape design inputs for parks, playfields, and multipurpose grounds, focusing on usability, inclusivity, and climate resilience.
• Policy and institutional framework: Supported drafting of the AMA-Bhoomi Policy and preparation of RFPs, EoIs, and MoUs to enable structured partnerships and long-term implementation.
• Cross-agency coordination: Acted as a coordination interface between BDA, line departments, consultants, and vendors to align planning and execution.
• Implementation readiness: Strengthened decision-making and delivery through integrated planning, documentation, and streamlined processes.

Key Highlights & Learnings

• Parks, greenways, and blueways were activated to create continuous and safer spaces for walking, jogging, and cycling.
• 20 playgrounds were developed with multi-sport facilities, providing shared recreational spaces for children, schools, and nearby institutions.
• Reclaimed open lands functioned as connectors, linking residential areas, institutions, and public amenities instead of remaining unused or encroached spaces.
• A GIS-backed and policy-driven framework was established to support long-term planning, monitoring, and management of open spaces.
• A dedicated application and website were developed to improve coordination between agencies, track sites, and enhance public access to information.
• Better visibility, communication, and structured engagement increased everyday use and local stewardship of spaces.

2024

Placemaking Initiative for Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas

Context & Problem

Hosting Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas 2024 placed Odisha on a global stage, requiring its cities to welcome international dignitaries and diaspora visitors. Many key tourist locations lacked cohesive visual identity, clear wayfinding, and visitor-oriented public realm design. There was a need for coordinated, high-quality placemaking across multiple cities to elevate the visitor experience within a short timeline.

What Was Done

• Site enhancement & beautification: Visual upgrades of arrival points, walkways, seating zones, and key tourism nodes across 25+ sites in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Puri.
• Urban wayfinding & signage: Designed and implemented clear, bilingual wayfinding and information signage for cultural, religious, and heritage destinations.
• Placemaking & cultural expression: Integrated local art, cultural symbols, and aesthetic installations to reinforce Odisha’s identity and sense of place.
• Branding & identity support: Developed PBD Odisha visual assets including logo extensions, banners, backdrops, and digital communication templates.
• Implementation & coordination: Prepared detailed execution plans (timelines, logistics, budgets) and coordinated with district administrations, tourism departments, and event partners for timely delivery across multiple locations.

Key Highlights & Learnings

• Events can accelerate urban improvement: Large international events like PBD can act as catalysts to fast-track long-pending public realm upgrades when aligned with a clear vision.
• Consistency matters more than scale: A coherent design language across multiple cities created stronger impact than isolated high-budget interventions at a few locations.
• Inter-departmental coordination is non-negotiable: Successful delivery depended on early alignment and continuous coordination across tourism, urban local bodies, district administrations, and event agencies.
• Temporary interventions can inform permanent change: Many event-led improvements provided learnings and prototypes for longer-term tourism and public space upgrades.

2024

Public Plaza Design for OMFED

Context & Problem

OMFED required well-designed public-facing plazas that reflected its institutional identity while remaining cost-efficient and practical to build. The challenge was to create context-responsive designs using locally available materials and construction practices, while ensuring functional layouts, coordinated documentation, and readiness for tendering and execution across multiple sites in Odisha.

What Was Done

• Site analysis & context study: Conducted detailed site visits to assess physical conditions, local construction practices, material availability, costs, and regional labour trends.
• Concept & architectural design: Developed preliminary sketches, conceptual layouts, and design proposals responding to OMFED’s functional needs and spatial aspirations.
• Landscape integration: Prepared an overall landscape and horticulture strategy to enhance public realm quality while supporting functional use of the plazas.
• Design development & costing: Incorporated client feedback to revise architectural drawings, update designs, and prepare cost estimates aligned with budget considerations.
• Construction documentation & tender support: Prepared preliminary working and tender drawings, coordinated with structural and MEP consultants, developed detailed BoQs, and supported OMFED in finalising tender packages.

Key Highlights & Learnings

• Public interface needs intentional design: As OMFED expanded beyond a production-centric role, well-designed plazas became critical in shaping how the institution is perceived by citizens, partners, and visitors.
• Operational efficiency cannot be compromised: The design had to carefully accommodate heavy vehicle and container movement for milk transportation, ensuring smooth logistics while separating public and service circulation.
• Balancing people and freight movement is key: Successful plaza design required clear zoning and circulation strategies to manage pedestrian activity alongside large transport vehicles safely and efficiently.
• Landscape humanises infrastructure: Green elements softened industrial environments, making institutional spaces more welcoming while retaining functional clarity.

2025

Alleyway Revitalisation in Connaught Place

Context & Problem

Many inner-block alleys had become blocked by encroachments and ad-hoc parking, losing their original role as pedestrian links between streets. Poor lighting, broken paving, and unclear ownership made them unsafe and avoided. This reduced walkability, increased walking distances, and limited spillover public life from surrounding commercial streets.

What Was Done

• Mapped and assessed alleyways based on surrounding land use, footfall, and access needs.
• Demarcating encroachments and reorganised parking to prioritise continuous pedestrian movement.
• Categorised alleys into two types: pedestrian plazas and shared plaza-cum-parking zones.
• Designed the alleyways with upgraded paving, lighting, drainage, and added seating and landscape elements in high-footfall locations.
• Introduced clear edges, wayfinding, and activity zones to improve safety, visibility, and usability.