Redevelopment of grand bazaar, Puducherry

Abstract

The market is the place where the people of a city gather on a regular basis. It is the platform where the drama of the city unfolds given a chance. Many a times such valuable spaces are lost to inconsiderate planning and design that prevent the markets from becoming great Public Places. Grand Bazaar of Pondicherry is a marketplace, the history of which extends as far back as the history of Pondicherry. Located at the heart of the city, This open marketplace was the pride of Pondicherry with all its colourful commodities and bustling trade. It was a place that was flexibly used for multiple and a wide variety of functions. In 1960 the government of Pondicherry built a market building restricting the market to a few functions. The old district of Pondicherry was designed for walking. With trade becoming more dependent on vehicular movement, the narrow streets of the old town became unable to manage the huge inflow of vehicles. This thesis explores the possibility of redesigning the market place with three main aims How can the new marketplace be made flexible enough to accommodate the varied activities of a city center at present and of the future? How can the marketplace regain its value as a social space? How can the redesign respond to its rich historic context? A study of the existing market with its surroundings, with respect to history, morphology and activities is carried out which informs the design. Case studies of commercial spaces that have sociable public places were done.