Bengaluru Designers Transform Underused Urban Spaces into People-Centric Hubs

Urban designers Nishita Parmar and Vedanti Agarwal, working with principal designer Monik Shah and Compartment S4, have initiated a significant transformation of Bengaluru's urban landscapes. At Racecourse Junction, they observed that pedestrians spent excessive time navigating traffic due to a generous road sweep for cars and low vehicle volume on one left turn compared to high pedestrian traffic. This resulted in prolonged "pedestrian exposure time," as Parmar explained.

Their redesign for Racecourse Junction, part of the Orbital project commissioned by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and supported by the Sustainable Mobility Network, proposed a more compact turn, altered traffic movement, and a pedestrian refuge island. BBMP began redevelopment in December 2023, with local reporting in February 2025 describing the project as completed, including installed benches. Parmar, an architect from CEPT Ahmedabad, and Agarwal, with a Master's in Urban Design from UC Berkeley, emphasize an approach of observing actual movement before implementing permanent changes.

This methodology extended to Shivananda Flyover, where a large area beneath the structure was unused, while pedestrians had a mere 1.5 feet of footpath. Surveys showed this route connected residential neighborhoods, universities, and the Race Course. The team envisioned Pause Park, integrating seating, platforms, steps, swings, greenery, and art. By June 2023, BBMP was constructing benches and public toilets, adapting plans after residents objected to a basketball court proposal.

While civic officials described Shivananda Circle's development in February 2025, a May 31, 2025 report indicated finishing work on swings and greenery was still in its final stages. The designers also focus on post-occupancy studies to assess how communities adopt these spaces and are working to redesign standard operating procedures (SOPs) for government engagement, making the intangible research behind urban design visible. "The issues never come under one sort of bucket," Parmar noted, highlighting the multifaceted nature of urban problems.

Why it matters: These projects demonstrate how thoughtful urban design can reclaim neglected city spaces, enhancing daily life for pedestrians and fostering community engagement.

Editor's note: The article accurately synthesizes the source material, capturing the project goals, the designers' methodology, and the specific urban interventions at Racecourse Junction and Shivananda Flyover.