‘Olam’ – Story of a re-imagined street
Team
Name: Ar. Rajesh George
Nationality: Indian
Company: Prakrti Environmental Design Consultancy
Name: Ar. Divya Rajesh
Nationality: Indian
Company: Prakrti Environmental Design Consultancy
Name: Ar. Sajeev KG
Nationality: Indian
Company: Prakrti Environmental Design Consultancy
-FINALIST of Street of Tomorrow Competition
P.T. Usha Road, in the heart of Cochin City, is the stage for our narrative. Our proposal ‘Olam’, attempts to re-imagine the street (currently a mere vehicular thoroughfare), as a people friendly destination – a mobility hub for people to connect, for art, sport and tolerance to thrive, and the city to sustain itself.
Activities of engagement, which are assigned physical locations, change according to the time of the day. E.g. From urban gymnasium and morning market in the early hours to a vibrant cultural hub in the evening with performances, eateries, kids play areas and flea market. Activity areas are segregated by varying surface treatments, slopes, and levels. Incorporated within these are disabled and aged friendly ramps and braille trails. Bicycle tracks and tree shaded walkways encourage cycling and walking.
Important Design elements (some could be phased tactical urbanist interventions) include:
- Eatery kiosks that fold away for other activities depending on the time
- Modular market / plug-in gymnasiums
- Allocation of janitorial services at different time zones
- Retractable bollards, to allow/disallow vehicles and parking
- An indigenously planted wetland that incorporates a natural infiltration system, to mitigate urban flooding. (Perhaps, a start point to the Blue-green infrastructure for Cochin City).
#resilientroadsystem #smartroads #pedestrianization #slowmobility #hubsofallsorts
