5 minute read
The Urban Revamp - Dondakundi Village
3. The Urban Revamp - Design Challenge
doddanekundi Village(selected among five finalists )
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The live competition project allowed me to explore bottom-up approaches to design, where the team headed by me involved the stakeholders, sensitizing and exposing them to the opportunities that the site holds.The entry was selected among the top five finalists of the competition by the local residents.
This design challenge has been conceived by Young Leader for Active Citizenship (YLAC), Sensing Local and Janaagraha and is being conducted in partnership with Doddanekundi Rising and Banaswadi Rising. We invite proposals to reimagine two typical neighbourhood scale public spaces in two wards of Bengaluru - Doddanekundi (ward 85) and Banaswadi (ward 27). The site in Doddanekundi builds on the idea of place-keeping where the aim is to strengthen the cultural grain of an ‘urban village’ amidst a rapidly urbanising fabric, through designing a shared public space that can be used by two disparate groups of residents in the neighbourhood (the locals and the migrants).
Mind monologue Map
This design challenge has been conceived by Young Leader for Active Citizenship (YLAC), Sensing Local and Janaagraha and is being conducted in partnership with Doddanekundi Rising and Banaswadi Rising. We invite proposals to reimagine two typical neighbourhood scale public spaces in two wards of Bengaluru - Doddanekundi (ward 85) and Banaswadi (ward 27). The site in Doddanekundi builds on the idea of place-keeping where the aim is to strengthen the cultural grain of an ‘urban village’ amidst a rapidly urbanising fabric, through designing a shared public space that can be used by two disparate groups of residents in the neighbourhood (the locals and the migrants).
Intervention
The program of our solution is drawn from observing the precinct in its pure form with its people and land use objective. The proposal includes mandatory parking and road-widths in Doddanekundi main road based on urban design standards. Balanced use of right-of-ways,carriageway, mid-block crossings and enhanced sidewalks not only gives a street edge Definition but also has the benefits of pedestrian improvements and street safety.. Treating the main junction with seating and organic space allocation for vendors creates a meaningful public engagement between the shops, vendors, pedestrians and the street edge, giving a dynamic image for the node. The hospital edge is designed to be a location for organised as well as incidental activities, animated with wall art warmly reminding the residents of their association with their culture. The inscription stone is highlighted in the same location, giving it more visibility. Lake street is edged with a manageable landscape to give it a refreshing look and improve the residents’ connection to their street. At the end of the street is the vantage point to the Doddanekundi lake with its vastness embraced by walking tracks and landscape. The existing bridge is extended to provide a small plaza, to connect people to their aqua heritage.
Negotiating Private plots
Road spine
THE VILLAGE SQUARE is a prime node enclosed by a variety of building typologies and the activities induced by them always maintains a vibe there. Ooru Habba turns this square into a fairground during ‘Rama Navami’ with bustling shops, events and colourful decorations decking up the realm.
Plan
The open square encourages informal gatherings and helps to stage events during Oora hubba. The levels are maintained for pedestrian access to the square and only differentiating through materials for a visual impact.
Isometric view
PRIMARY HEALTH CARE CENTRE serves the village and the neighbourhoods. With recent pandemic scenes, the centre has provided excellent services in vaccination. The auto-rickshaw stand adorning its frontage is quite cheerless to the pedestrians as it takes their right to use an otherwise accessible edge.
Plan
Treating the main junction with seating and organic space allocation for vendors creates a meaningful public engagement between the shops, vendors, pedestrians and the street edge, giving a dynamic image for the node. The hospital edge is designed to be a location for organised as well as incidental activities, animated with the wall art warmly reminding the residents their association with their culture. Isometric view
The inscription stone , supposedly belonging to the Hoysala period is a heritage treasure that must be preserved. Its location and bad road conditions camouflage the stone with the surroundings and are hardly noticed by any passerby.
Plan
The inscription stone is highlighted in the same location, giving it more visibility.This important historical evidence is highlighted and cherished by the locale. `
Isometric view
The vision is to show the residents, the potential their place has, and introducing meagre interventions to indirectly drive them to use in a way that escalates their experience. This would make them see and feel their own place in a new dimension far from the current picture
