Nagpur: The space beneath Dighori Flyover has adorned a not-so-welcome look due to a variety of undesirable activities for which the space is being used. However, it may change soon. A group of students has come up with a design proposal for transforming the area beneath Dighori flyover into a vibrant community space.
The design was among the shortlisted 15 top design proposals, during the unique Design and Build Competition organized by Nagpur@2025 in collaboration with Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC). The competition was for the students of architecture and urban design colleges, encouraging them to reimagine and redesign potential public spaces in Nagpur city.
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The proposal regarding Dighori flyover aims at transforming the area under the flyover into a vibrant public space that fosters social and cultural interaction, promotes community building, and enhances the overall experience of people, said Malhar Deshpande, Chief Executive Officer, Nagpur@2025. This innovative design proposal not only addresses the need for more vibrant public spaces but also utilises an often-overlooked urban space — the area beneath a flyover, he added.
The design was made by three IDEAS College students namely Nakiya Najmi, Madhushree Ghiye, and Aksha Paunikar. Before making the design, they assessed the existing scenario and observed that animals, beggars, street-hawkers and homeless people had occupied the space under the flyover. Given the urban setting, their objective was to convert the site into a play zone for kids and teenagers, and also as a place for leisure activities for individuals of all ages.
As far as play zone for kids is concerned, the indoor games are proposed to be brought to human scale, converting them into outdoor games. The design also aims at enhancing the quality of the chosen space in terms of aesthetics and human interaction. In the last week, Radhakrishnan B, the then Municipal Commissioner, accorded approval to the implementation of this project. NMC, IDEAS College, and Nagpur@2025 now have commenced the implementation process, showing collective dedication to realising the transformative potential of this design proposal.
The design for creative use of space under Dighori flyover comprises various components including a pathway in the centre to act as access to the entire site, block and circular seating arrangement, grass/Korean carpet, wooden finish tile, lamp post, LED strip light, wooden fence, planter pots etc. The proposed bringing of indoor games to human scale include carrom board and table, ludo, chess, snake-and ladder, playground climber, and ‘Tikkar-Billa’. “I believe that this design proposal has the potential to significantly transform Dighori’s urban landscape, making it more vibrant, inclusive, safe, and conducive to community building. It is a matter of great pride to see students coming forward and contributing to the city’s urban design and also, NMC providing opportunities to these students to implement the projects,” Deshpande said.
