Gandhi Street Urban Park is a public landscape project located in central Almaty, at the intersection of Nazarbayev Avenue and Gandhi Street. Conceived and developed by Basire Design, the project transforms an urban site into a contemporary public environment where landscape, water, architecture and pedestrian movement form a single spatial system.
The central idea of the project is based on a sense of calm and continuity within the dense urban fabric. Rather than organizing the park around rigid axial routes, the landscape is shaped by flowing paths, curved edges and soft transitions between different functional zones. This approach creates a more natural sequence of movement and allows visitors to experience the park gradually, rather than perceive it as a single composition from one viewpoint.
Water plays an important role in the spatial identity of the park. Curved water features follow the geometry of the pedestrian routes and reinforce the overall sense of fluidity. During the warmer months, water, planting and shaded areas create a cooler and more comfortable microenvironment, while in winter the park takes on a different character as parts of the public space are adapted for seasonal use, including ice skating.
Lightweight pavilion structures and canopies are integrated into the landscape without dominating it. Their horizontal forms appear to float above the ground and provide sheltered places for rest and social interaction. The architecture is intentionally restrained, allowing vegetation, water and movement to remain the primary elements of the composition.
Planting was conceived as an architectural material rather than as decoration. Trees, shrubs and groundcover define spatial boundaries, frame views and create different degrees of enclosure throughout the park. The landscape changes with the seasons, giving the project a different visual character throughout the year.
The project was also designed as an everyday public space rather than a destination intended only for special events. Pedestrian paths, seating, open areas and landscaped zones support a wide range of uses, from short daily walks and informal meetings to longer periods of recreation.
One of the key objectives was to create a park that feels embedded in the city while offering a distinctly different atmosphere from the surrounding streets. The continuous geometry of the paths, water features, planting and pavilion roofs creates a coherent environment in which architecture and landscape are perceived as parts of the same system.
Through this integration of movement, vegetation, water and public activity, Gandhi Street Urban Park introduces a contemporary model of urban landscape for Almaty: compact in scale, open to different forms of use and capable of changing with the seasons.
2022
2024
Location: Almaty, Kazakhstan
Address: Nazarbayev Avenue and Gandhi Street
Completion: 2024
Site Area: approximately 4.973 ha
Typology: Urban Park / Public Landscape
Client: Akimat of Almaty City
Landscape Design: Basire Design
Architectural Elements: Basire Design
Status: Completed and in operation
Program: pedestrian routes, landscaped areas, water features, pavilions, seating and recreational public spaces
Seasonal Use: summer public landscape and winter recreational space / ice skating
Landscape Design: Basire Design
Architecture and Public Space Design: Basire Design
Client: Akimat of Almaty City
Basire Design Basire Design
