Look, BBMP, here’s a footpath you could copy
Two young architects have turned a 120-metre footpath stretch in busy Parel area into a model walking stretch for the rest of Mumbai.
Pranav Naik, 29, and Shweta Chhatpar-Shah, 27, (in second picture) who have done their masters in architecture from the US-based universities, were offered the project in October last year, when financial services firmMotilal Oswal Group hired their services to beautify the area outside their office on Gokhale Road under corporate social responsibility programme.
This newspaper’s sister publication in Mumbai ran a lengthy campaign recently, to reclaim Mumbai’s walking spaces, and found that citizens from across strata were disgusted at the wide-spread encroachment on public areas.
Sixty-five days later, the six-metre-wide stretch had been evened out and turned into a user-friendly walkway for the disabled, lined with illuminated trees and designed such that there won’t be puddles of water during monsoon. The entire project cost around Rs 38 lakh.
“We spent a few weeks clicking pictures of the stretch, and speaking to the users regarding the troubles they encountered,” Naik said.
At several spots, the height of the pavement was found to be 14 to 18 inches, which was corrected to six-and-a-half inches for easy accessibility. The footpath was also given a slope to ensure zero water accumulation. “Around 100 sq m of the stretch has been beautified using 13 weathering steel planters which will also ensure water will seep inside the trees and the roots will not jut out on the side of the footpath,” Naik said.
Naik and Chhatpar-Shah did an extensive research into the guidelines followed by the developed countries while constructing such public amenities. “Beauty lies in the details and we made sure that even small gaps are not tolerated. The masons soon realised we took the job seriously. There are 10 shops along the footpath and initial apprehension among the shopkeepers soon gave way to confidence.
They supported us completely,” Chhatpar-Shah said, adding they were further encouraged by the BMC assistant engineer (maintenance) Amol Kusale and corporator Seema Shivalkar.
Naik and Chhatpar-Shah said that executing basic things completely turned the stretch around. “We ensured the pavement’s height was such that car doors didn’t collide with it, and used Shahbad stones, which are durable, stronger and longlasting than paver blocks to level the stretch,” Naik said. “A traffic signal, besides manhole covers and water hydrants are on the same level as the footpath. We have also left a small space on the stretch, which is filled with gravel, to ensure the footpath need not be broken to carry out repairs,” he added.
Naik and Chhatpar-Shah now want to remodel the footpath opposite the stretch, but will not be able to take up the project till the end of monsoon. “We also hope to work on the stretches in the western suburbs,” Naik said. “It was like we were destined for this project. We would routinely complain about the condition of the city’s footpaths. Then we get this proposal from Motilal Oswal and we were able to create a stretch that proves a space-crammed city such as Mumbai could also have a pedestrian-friendly walkway,” Chhatpar-Shah added.
Rishi Agarwal, the founder of Mumbai Walking Project, a think tank that has been urging the authorities to create model walking stretches across the city, visited the footpath and said the two architects have put out a great show.
Pranav Naik, 29, and Shweta Chhatpar-Shah, 27, (in second picture) who have done their masters in architecture from the US-based universities, were offered the project in October last year, when financial services firm
This newspaper’s sister publication in Mumbai ran a lengthy campaign recently, to reclaim Mumbai’s walking spaces, and found that citizens from across strata were disgusted at the wide-spread encroachment on public areas.
Sixty-five days later, the six-metre-wide stretch had been evened out and turned into a user-friendly walkway for the disabled, lined with illuminated trees and designed such that there won’t be puddles of water during monsoon. The entire project cost around Rs 38 lakh.
“We spent a few weeks clicking pictures of the stretch, and speaking to the users regarding the troubles they encountered,” Naik said.
“Pedestrians had to climb the footpath to access it, and it is a busy stretch lined with two bus stops. The paver blocks had created an uneven surface and the 10 trees had their roots jutted out, giving the stretch an ugly appearance,” he said.
At several spots, the height of the pavement was found to be 14 to 18 inches, which was corrected to six-and-a-half inches for easy accessibility. The footpath was also given a slope to ensure zero water accumulation. “Around 100 sq m of the stretch has been beautified using 13 weathering steel planters which will also ensure water will seep inside the trees and the roots will not jut out on the side of the footpath,” Naik said.
Naik and Chhatpar-Shah did an extensive research into the guidelines followed by the developed countries while constructing such public amenities. “Beauty lies in the details and we made sure that even small gaps are not tolerated. The masons soon realised we took the job seriously. There are 10 shops along the footpath and initial apprehension among the shopkeepers soon gave way to confidence.
They supported us completely,” Chhatpar-Shah said, adding they were further encouraged by the BMC assistant engineer (maintenance) Amol Kusale and corporator Seema Shivalkar.
Naik and Chhatpar-Shah said that executing basic things completely turned the stretch around. “We ensured the pavement’s height was such that car doors didn’t collide with it, and used Shahbad stones, which are durable, stronger and longlasting than paver blocks to level the stretch,” Naik said. “A traffic signal, besides manhole covers and water hydrants are on the same level as the footpath. We have also left a small space on the stretch, which is filled with gravel, to ensure the footpath need not be broken to carry out repairs,” he added.
Naik and Chhatpar-Shah now want to remodel the footpath opposite the stretch, but will not be able to take up the project till the end of monsoon. “We also hope to work on the stretches in the western suburbs,” Naik said. “It was like we were destined for this project. We would routinely complain about the condition of the city’s footpaths. Then we get this proposal from Motilal Oswal and we were able to create a stretch that proves a space-crammed city such as Mumbai could also have a pedestrian-friendly walkway,” Chhatpar-Shah added.
Rishi Agarwal, the founder of Mumbai Walking Project, a think tank that has been urging the authorities to create model walking stretches across the city, visited the footpath and said the two architects have put out a great show.
