Redevelopment of the BOC market area Kohima, Nagaland

Abstract

A market place is a common ground where people carry out the functional and rituals of everyday activities and trade that binds the community. It is a platform where many community activities like exchange of produces, trades, leisure and exercises as such take place; a space of interaction and activity, necessary for an urban structure to function. Market spaces becomes a focal point in a city connecting the various lifelines of the town and cities it is surrounded by. Architecture and urban spaces, planning and shaping the town influences how a city works. It determines and defines their lifestyle and the culture of the city giving it an identity. With the genesis of market spaces, identifying the trend of evolution of such places had to be understood and studied, with contextual references of different places and scenario of its location. It is also to be noted the character of such places which deems the location describes the characteristics of the people and the place in general. B.O.C market is located in the heart of Kohima town and has been a landmark in the town for decades and hence, holds a very significant and predominant status in the capital. With the increasing need for better prospects of infrastructure and demand for provision of development on the site, the market needs to evolve along with the changing city and the requirements of the people. The site needs to cater to every needs required to its maximum potential. Therefore it is necessary to identify the kinds of different spaces that can be provided for the market in relation to the urban context. Kohima, in its urban strata lacks public interactive spaces. With only a handful of places such as the Local ground, The War Cemetery and few more, all other interactive activities are concentrated on the main street (N.H 39), putting a lot of pressure on the road which has to support the traffic, pedestrians and all other commercial activities. Fortunately the site is located in B.O.C, which is adjacent to the N.H 39. A proposal to create a space on the existing Market space to maximize its usability in a sense of making it a people centric space – A space not just used for commercial but also public activities to take place - A space and a platform to empower the community in general.