The Streets for people challenge was an initiative by Smart City Mission, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to inspire cities to create walking-friendly streets through quick measures after Covid 19.

The market street at Jayanagar is an ‘urban marker’ in South Bangalore, frequented by people for shopping, leisure and food. It is indeed Santhe Katte, market under tree canopies where people of the city meet and greet, eat and celebrate. The proposal thus focuses on creating inclusive, pedestrian friendly and active public realm to utilize the full potential of the site.

The approach for design began with detailed mapping of activities, including people’s movement, pause points, crossing points, gathering and shopping. This was followed by creating an asymmetrical road profile to slow down the speed of vehicles and creating activity pockets in the reclaimed area. Temporary street closure can offer range of activities that street could afford at different times of the day and around the year.