VISION

The city centre of Shrishtinagar in Asansol is slated for an urban revitalization. For years, the Centrum Mall had been a local destination. However, growing demand for modern retail and a general improvement in affluence and spending has prompted an urgent need for high quality retail in the city centre.

We took holistic stock of the client’s emerging requirements and built our proposal on the principles of the neighbourhood of delight; a holistic urban public realm that focuses on participation rather than consumption. We combined components of tactical urbanism to address existing traffic woes and complemented them with new public plazas.

DESIGN

The urban design for the city centre focuses on three important interventions. First, the existing roads are linked with the forested Central Park through the deployment of tactical urbanism principles.

Second, the disparate public plazas and lost spaces between the buildings are interconnected through a network of well-design and activated thematic streets.

Third and most importantly, the rear of the development, which is along a local water canal has been activated as the waterfront retail street with avenues for dining and a board walk that links the city centre with the Shrishtinagar development and rest of the city.
By bringing these three strategies together, the urban design creates a panoramic frontage for the city centre enhancing its value as a urban destination.