Bhubaneswar Adds Artwork to Smart Parks
Source: Bhubaneswar adds artwork in six Saheed Nagar parks to make better use of the city’s available land for all residents, a key pillar of the Bhubaneswar Smart City Strategy which was developed by IBI Group.
Bhubaneswar, India (June 5, 2018) – On Sunday, May 20, nearly 100 children, along with city officials and residents, joined local artists and Smart City officials to create murals and art installations in six parks in Bhubaneswar. The redesign aims to make better use of the city’s available land for all residents, a key pillar...Date
June 5, 2018
Bhubaneswar, India (June 5, 2018) – On Sunday, May 20, nearly 100 children, along with city officials and residents, joined local artists and Smart City officials to create murals and art installations in six parks in Bhubaneswar. The redesign aims to make better use of the city’s available land for all residents, a key pillar of the Bhubaneswar Smart City Strategy which was developed by IBI Group.
Previously underutilized and lacking well-defined programming, the selected parks are located in Saheed Nagar, one of the oldest neighbourhoods in the area.
With an aspiration to create child-friendly infrastructure, active and informal space, this project is part of the Area-Based Development portion of the Bhubaneswar Smart City Strategy. These spaces are the first child-friendly parks in the city and the first component of our Strategy that the public can see and interact with. The redevelopment aims to provide recreational opportunities to all user groups irrespective of age, physical ability, gender and socio-economic status.
Developed under the mandate of the Bhubaneshwar Urban Knowledge Centre (BUKC), a citizen-led, participatory planning approach was adopted for the parks design. Local children, parents and senior citizens were invited to a design brief ahead of time. They even hosted a design charrette with local children to get design input and a wish list of features to make the parks more active, engaging and child-friendly! Based on the suggestions and requirements of citizens, multiple concept design options were prepared and executed by IBI Group.
Some of the parks’ key design elements include:
- efficient use of land as resource
- water, colours, textures used as main design feature
- universal accessibility
- technology for safety & security
- multi-activity zones for all age groups
The result? The City has seen a 500% footfall increase to these areas and residents are asking for similar spaces to be developed in other neighbourhoods. Bhubaneswar plans to develop a network of parks, open spaces and trail systems due to the parks’ success.
