CONVERGING NODES OF CITY

"CONVERGING NODES OF CITY"
@ Chathiram Bus Station, Tiruchirappalli

Transit-oriented development

The City is the result of a well- developed civilization, people living and as a working space. The city will face a unique period of rapid economic & Infrastructure growth. The urban crisis and transport issues will arise because of rapid population growth. We should Re-think our cities according to our growth.
Where Tiruchirappalli is the second most populated city in Tamilnadu. Chathiram Bus stand is the core part of Trichy surrounded by Market place, Commercial complex, religious centers, movie theatre, Schools, Colleges and etc.

Chathiram Bus stand is a place having enormous potential for active Urban space.
Traffic congestion in Chathiram which is affected the surroundings, Caused by overuse of public vehicles coming in and out of Chathiram. Unpedestrianised roads & poor main-entrance of walkways discouraging users to travel to terminals via walking and more vehicular – oriented streets. Unorganized bus & taxi shops in terminal create bad visibility, intelligibility for users often causes confusion and disoriented direction. Considering the present scenario of that place and based on my research and analysis I have done urban design & redevelopment proposals for Chathiram bus station and its surroundings.

The Concept is to revitalize the space along the Chathiram stretch and utilize it to generate a green eco-friendly skywalk that could separate the pedestrians from vehicular movement in heavy traffic regions and will also add to an overall experience to the people of Trichy. Segregate between pedestrian and Vehicular traffic. The development of various public transport modes in the city of Trichy like bus stops and auto-rickshaw stands has increased the number of a pedestrian on most of the major road junctions in the city, the intersection of the vehicular traffic with the pedestrians causes a call for alarm towards the safety of the people.

THRUST AREA:
Bus terminal as Entrance – Urban Revitalization
-Walking as a mode of transport (pedestrianization)
-The bicycle as an alternative in traveling between transportation nodes.
Bus terminal as an Urban Gateway – City Centre
-Transition point
Bus terminal as a Facilities/Amenities Centre – One Commercial Centre
-For long waiting times (regional)
-For short waiting times (local)
Bus terminal as a Meeting place – Public Square
-Segregating traffic and public space.
-As a transition between both bridges and transport nodes.

Earth-friendly Architecture
In recent years, the sustainability concept has become the common interest of numerous disciplines. The reason for this popularity is to perform sustainable development. The Concept of Green Architecture, also known as “sustainable architecture” or “green building,” is the theory, science, and style of buildings designed and constructed in accordance with environmentally friendly principles. Green architecture strives to minimize the number of resources consumed in the building's construction, use, and operation, as well as curtailing the harm done to the environment through the emission, pollution, and waste of its components.

Design Implementation:
• Integrating Commercial & Bus terminal
• Diversion of Traffic away from public
• Permeability from public Surroundings
• Transitions of spaces through Circulation

SITE JUSTIFICATION:
The Chathiram bus stand, founded in 1979, does not cater to the needs of the commuters. It is more of a road taken over by buses devoid of any amenities both for the crew and the passengers. The central bus stand and the Chathiram bus stand, due to Tiruchi’s strategic location in the heart of the State, are busy look round-the-clock throughout the year. Although the Tiruchirapalli City Corporation has been providing some amenities from time to time, a lot more needs to be done to make it worthy of a bus stand which was officially recognized only in 2005.
• During the holidays and festival seasons, they are bursting at the seams.
• Any stranger to the area is bound to be shocked over the poor amenities at the Chathiram bus stand and the risk and lack of road safety in the vicinity.
• Encroachments by vendors on the bus bays, passengers standing on the road, and city service buses honking continuously make up a typical day at the bus stand.
• Taking advantage of the lack of patronage for the bus shelters, a number of hawkers and pavement vendors encroach close to the buses, posing a nuisance to passengers alighting from or boarding buses.
• Obviously traffic congestion, noise, and environmental pollution are a few major issues confronting the members of the public.
• Another major problem faced here is the lack of basic amenities. There are no toilets. Men empty their bladder in the open. Situated on the banks of the Cauvery, the bus stand, ironically, does not have a drinking water facility. There are no toilets; parched passengers forced to buy water Construction of more toilets and provision of potable water in important points will immensely benefit the people of surrounding villages who arrive here for their routine works.

TIRUCHIRAPALLI: CITY PROFILE AND CONTEXT
Tiruchirapalli, rock city is situated on the banks of river Cauvery. Trichy is a fine blend of temples and monuments and is a great travel destination. Dominated by the granite rock soaring 84 meters into the skyline, Trichy also hosts the Golden Rock Locomotive Workshop, an Ordinance Factory, and NIT. Tiruchirappalli is well connected by road and train networks to many prominent towns like Coimbatore, Bangalore, Madurai, Thirunelveli, Puducherry, and Salem which lie within a radius of 10km and acts as a transit town.
Population: 847,387(2011)
Sex ratio: 1013 females for every 1000 males
Population density: 604 persons/ sq. km
Area: 4,509 sq. km
Literacy rate: 91.38%
Tiruchirappalli Metropolitan Population: 1,022,518(2011)
Tiruchirappalli Metropolitan Areas: Kothappar, Krishnasamudram, Manachanallur, Navalpattu, Pappankurichi, Pichandarkovil, Thiruverumbur, Thuvakudi, and Tiruchirappalli.
Tiruchirappalli District Population: 2,722,290(2011)

SAFETY GOALS:
GOAL 1:
MOBILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY –
A maximum number of people should be able to move fast, safely and conveniently through the city.
GOAL 2:
SAFETY AND COMFORT –
Make streets safe clean and walkable, create a climate-sensitive design.
GOAL 3:
ECOLOGY –
Reduce impact on the natural environment, and Reduce pressure on built infrastructure.

Site Area: 6.74 Acres

DESIGN OF URBAN SQUARE
- It is quite challenging to define universal design principles that would fit all the squares in the world.
- It might be a good idea to consider the characteristics of contemporary urban environments before focusing on the design of the squares.
- Social and spatial segregation have been increased in today’s metropolitan areas because of globalization. Another consequence of the globalization process is that today’s cities are multi-cultural and multi-ethnical more than ever.
- The public realm is more heterogeneous today and designers and planners need to find ways to create places that serve for “everyone” in these culturally diverse communities.
- Urban designers, planners, and authorities should be aware of the future threats on local identity in decision making, design, and planning processes.
Two major criteria are involved in the design of urban squares of a particular area. They are:
a. Physical criteria b. Functional criteria

Physical Criteria:
- The factors have an effect on the positioning of the public spaces in the town and also on the form and scales.
- The open spaces in the town have a network of function and the hierarchy or series of spaces that leads to a bigger impact over the town, living environment, trade, politics, economy, tradition, and cultural aspects.
i) Geographical positioning
ii) Location in the city
iii) Scale and proportion
Geographical positioning:
- Civilization takes place on the basis of available resources and particularly comforts conditions that suit human living conditions.
- Thus it has effects over public spaces and the built masses and their clusterization. Accordingly, these spaces and masses have scales and further most it is due to functional aspects of the public space.
- There are four major factors affecting the organization of the city and the geographical position of open spaces in the city. These factors are religion, culture, public realms, and its intangible spatial properties.
Location in the city:
- The spatial urban structure of the city has a direct effect on the orientation and scale of the public space.
- The pattern of the built masses in a town is based on geographical conditions moreover need of people and artistic concerns. The patterns of surrounding masses have shaped the open spaces whereas implied spaces have artistic and design values.
- The ratio of built spaces to open areas of the city varies, but their organizational principles are based on design schema.
- The location of spaces in the town is also based on the density of the surrounding region or the scale of the function space serves the town.
- Hypothetically, the center of the town is honored by associated activities for religion or political imagery of the town. Concentrically moving away from the town center the open spaces are smaller in scale than the central space.