Nagaland
Streets for people: Parking lot in Kohima transformed into open street
A woman sells vegetables at the newly transformed open space for pedestrians in Kohima on November 7.
Dimapur, Nov. 7 (EMN): As part of the ‘Streets for people challenge,’ Kohima Smart City Development Limited (KSCDL) has transformed the Old NST parking lot into an open street space for pedestrians, food vendors, street vendors selling organic vegetables, fruits and flowers as well as sitting space for shoppers.
The challenge initiative was to envision and test how streets could be transformed into happy, safe and inclusive spaces for everyone, stated KSCDL chief executive officer Kovi Meyase in a press release. He informed that KSCDL will identify more locations around the town where open street spaces could be carved out permanently for all citizens to use and enjoy.
Meyase stated that Kohima Smart City had received lot of positive and hopeful feedbacks from the citizens and visitors. He cited instances where one young boy expressed his excitement to see a parking lot transformed into such a nice open space, while another citizen wished that more of such spaces should come up around different parts of the city and another appreciated the platform given to the street vendors.
He also stated that the Kohima Smart City in collaboration with the Kohima Traffic Police and in consultation with the Nagaland State Disability Forum, has also earmarked a parking space reserved exclusively for people with disabilities outside Rutsa Bakery. He added that the traffic police have agreed to identify parking spaces for PWDs at strategic locations around the town.
Meyase mentioned that the Kohima Smart City with the core committee comprising of representatives from wards, citizen groups, professionals and city officials are organising an open streets campaign around the city to create awareness about the need to share street spaces with cyclists, pedestrians and citizens including children, aged people and people with disabilities.
The campaign is being initiated to convey message that streets are not only for vehicles and for parking.
Meyase stated that the ‘Streets for people challenge’ was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in order to ensure green recovery from Covid-19 pandemic. The objective of the programme was to inspire cities to create walk-friendly streets through quick measures and to re-imagine their streets as public spaces through the lens of economic regeneration, safety and child-friendly interventions with inclusive designing.
MoHUA was of the view that cities can test quick, innovative and low-cost interventions using elements such as planters, seaters, barricades, signages, paints, makeshift play equipments by engaging with the community through events and campaigns. In the longer term, the ministry also encouraged cities to convert those temporary interventions into permanent ones.
Towards making Kohima a people-friendly and more walkable city, the Kohima Smart City has sought the support of citizens saying, “Together we can reclaim our streets and make space for everyone”.