Re-Thinking Marketplace as a Socio-Cultural Hub in the Urban Core : Unit 1 Market, Bhubaneshwar

Abstract

Market places are the living and breathing spaces of a city. They act as a hub of information, where people interact, congregate, and socialize. When placed in a strategic location or with historical background, the marketplace contributes to the sense of place with its diverse activities. A marketplace expresses the character of the neighborhood and contribute to the genius loci of the context. Today, a marketplace faces challenges on multiple fronts. Rise of mall culture and shopping complexes have offered better organization of shops. Online shopping culture has shifted the consumers from the physical realm to the ‘click and buy’ realm. Currently, the local marketplace is in a dire need of the upliftment. The Capital market of Unit 1, Bhubaneswar came into existence in the early 1950’s when the new capital of post-independence Odisha was being established, Bhubaneswar. Inspired from the Radburn plan, Otto Königsberger designed the Unit 1 with the Capital market being its commercial hub. Combined with the Unit 2 market building, Capital market has been a crucial part of the city core. With the rise of digital era and the smart city initiative, Bhubaneswar Development Authorities plan to develop the city core into a fresh city model, with much of the city core infrastructure facing redevelopment. The project aims to revamp the existing market form a low-rise high-density development to a high-rise high-density development. The redevelopment of the market will target infrastructural, economic, social, and cultural aspects. But sophistication should not come at the cost of essence. With the coming age of digital mediums, these marketplaces which were once so vibrant are becoming more and more inert. A place which was once filled with pluralities has been reduced to a mere space of goods exchange. Through the thesis design, a key aspect has been explored as to how can a traditional marketplace survive and sustain while adapting to the changing times. The challenge is to redevelop these traditional marketplaces that grew organically while retaining their essence while being resilient and having the capacity to grow in the future times sustainably.