Bengaluru invites citizens to redesign everyday urban spaces

BENGALURU

The Bengaluru Jatre, an arts and cultural festival scheduled for December, will feature an initiative inviting creative citizens to submit design ideas for everyday urban spaces, the Karnataka government stated on Sunday. “Bengaluru is inviting its citizens to help redesign these everyday elements of urban life.

‘Bengaluru Design: Open Call’, an initiative under Bengaluru Jatre, invites designers, architects, artists, students  and other creative thinkers to submit practical ideas for everything from streetlights, bus stops and public benches to road medians, waste bins, shopfronts and neighbourhood identities. Participants can also propose improvements for an entire 500-metre stretch of the city,” the government said in a statement announcing the initiative.

The most promising ideas will be shared with the city corporations for consideration and possible implementation. “A city is experienced not just through its major infrastructure, but through the everyday spaces people use. We want citizens to bring forward ideas that make Bengaluru more accessible, welcoming and liveable. This initiative is an opportunity to connect people’s creativity with the city’s needs,” Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said.

The government also stated that the design challenges covered a range of objects, spaces and systems, including streetlights, bus stops, benches, road medians, waste bins, signage, shopfronts and even entire neighbourhood identities.

One of the more ambitious challenges goes beyond individual objects, asking participants to redesign an entire 500-metre  stretch of the city. It also emphasised that the designs must respond to the realities of the city and be practical, affordable, high-impact and scalable, taking into account existing infrastructure, available materials, maintenance requirements, accessibility and civic administrative processes.

Selected submissions will be showcased at an exhibition during the festival, allowing citizens to view the proposals and offer feedback. The strongest ideas will be assessed by a jury constituted by  the Greater Bengaluru Authority. Selected proposals will be shared with the relevant city corporations for consideration and possible implementation, subject to technical, financial, operational and site-specific feasibility. 

The best designers will also be invited to meet the Minister for Bengaluru Development to discuss their ideas and how they might be taken forward. Participants can submit their ideas until November 15 to support@bengalurujatre.in. Bengaluru Jatre will take place from December 4 to 13.