• Bengaluru is set to welcome its long overdue airport expansion, with Kempegowda International Airport’s 2.7-million-square-foot Terminal 2 which started operations in early 2023. The project will increase the airport’s annual visitor capacity by an estimated 40 million. Verdant airports like Singapore’s Changi have raised expectations of how terminal buildings can look and feel. And architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill has taken a similarly nature-inspired approach it has dubbed a “terminal in a garden” — a series of interconnected buildings joined by landscaped spaces and populated with plants, bamboo-clad pavilions, indoor waterfalls and rattan furnishings. The terminal also allows artists from all over the world to play a vital role in giving the place its own distinct identity. The exhibits vary across mediums, from digital works to wall art.

• K100 (Citizens’ Water Way) project The K-100 stormwater drain cuts across 23 wards in the city as it traverses from its source near the centrally located Majestic Bus Stand to its destination – Bellandur Lake. The geographies of these drains and its surrounding areas serve as important starting points in understanding city planning and the context of urban floods. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (‘BBMP’) is the administrative body responsible for civic amenities and some infrastructural assets of the Greater Bengaluru metropolitan area. They, along with a few government agencies, have initiated the K100 (Citizens’ Water Way) project to rejuvenate the stormwater drain network between Majestic and Bellandur lake. Mod Foundation, an urban action and research institute, has been working with these agencies to ensure the project’s goals are met, and is also facilitating the overall design concept. Storm water drains (SWDs) are a crucial part of the city’s lake ecosystem, and hence the entire network has to be addressed in an attempt to solve the city’s water crisis. This project aims to reframe the drains to make an ‘ecological corridor’ addressing issues of water scarcity and flood mitigation, among others.

• The government launched the Tender SURE (Specifications for Urban Road Execution) programme to ensure all stakeholders collaborated in the process of designing, implementing and maintaining Bengaluru’s streets, in order to ensure safe, sustainable and pedestrian friendly streets. This programme ensured a comprehensive planning approach which included all aspects of mobility and discouraged fossil fuel transportation, with better standards for designing and analysing data, and a participatory process amongst agencies. Finally, the programme also considered the management of streets, with a coordination of maintenance cycles, including all service utilities, to avoid frequent repairs. The programme, called Tender SURE, aimed to inhibit the use of private, motorised transport and prioritise pedestrians and cyclists, with adequate footpaths and cycle lanes, and specific attention given to junctions at crossings, bus stops or ramps. Roads were defined hierarchically as arterial, sub-arterial, collector and local roads, with consequent width and speed limits for cars. The design incorporates walkway facilities such as planted alleys, dedicated spaces for vendors and car or motorcycle parking, safe bus stops, segregated waste disposal, public toilets, signage and LED lighting. Tender SURE also integrates and sizes utilities, such as electricity, telecom lines, gas, water and sewage, to avoid having to open roads multiple times for different maintenance operations. This initiative was made possible by Janaagraha and JanaUSP which are sister organisations committed to working on a City Systems Strategy for change.

• Science Gallery Bengaluru is a not-for-profit public institution for research-based engagement targeted at young adults. They work at the interface between the natural, human, and social sciences, and the arts through ever-changing exhibitions, mentorship programmes and a Public Lab Complex. SGB was established with the founding support of the Government of Karnataka and three academic partners—Indian Institute of Science, National Centre for Biological Sciences, and Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology. It is a member of the Global Science Gallery Network with sister galleries in Atlanta, Berlin, Dublin, London, Melbourne and Rotterdam. Their mission is to ‘bring science back into culture’ by: Empowering Young Adults with their mentorship initiatives, Shaping Culture with public engagement and community initiatives & promoting Open Research at the public lab complex (opening in 2024).

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