Case for architecturally-rich invented spaces

The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) is reported to have directed the Kathmandu Metropolitan Office to stop Innovative Concept Pvt Ltd from constructing flyovers that the company was about to start building at different traffic junctions of Kathmandu (Nagarik, Dec 27, 2010). The CIAA has done a praiseworthy job as the company was ready to construct flyovers that looked more like a conglomeration of shops rather than structures that provided services to the public. Moreover, CIAA has intervened at a time when flyovers and overhead bridges need to be seriously defined according to the architectural crises that the cities of the valley have been facing in the present times.

I personally think that this can be the best time for the Kathmandu-based architects, members of the civil society and the lovers of the cities to come together to create a force to make urban planners and policymakers to think seriously about the architectural dimensions that our cities need to follow in the days to come. And this particular flyover episode can be turned into a landmark in the history of urban development in the valley.

Flyovers and overhead bridges are invented spaces. Such invented spaces help cities manage their crowds and traffic. They come into existence in the nooks and corners of the cities where people in large number need to cross the road on a daily basis. By crossing over them, people save their energy, time and, importantly, experience some friendly gestures that their cities offer to them. Flyovers are metaphors of the growth and prosperity of the cities. We can also take them as photographs of the visions of the urban policymakers and planners.

The Kathmandu Metropolitan Office has allowed private companies to construct several overhead bridges so far. However, we feel that the overhead bridges in the Kathmandu metropolitan area have failed to appeal to us. They remain empty and filthy throughout the day. Above all, they lack proper architectural ambience as they fail to inspire us to use the space to the maximum. That could be one of the reasons why many of us are caught crossing the road by bypassing the overhead bridges. Our experience says that overhead bridges have failed in the cities. Therefore, we should think and discuss seriously about it before we sit to design and construct flyovers and overhead bridges in the cities in the days to come.

That urban planners and policymakers have failed to keep the cities of the valley on a proper architectural track is a stark reality. Every day we encounter buildings, which look very indifferent to the architectural heritage of the valley. As a result, banal streetscapes have come to dominate the scene. That several open and public spaces have disappeared from the cities is a saddening matter.

As lovers of the architectures of the valley, we strongly believe that flyovers and overhead bridges in Kathmandu can surprise the world provided that they are designed keeping our history and heritage in mind.

As lovers and admirers of the traditional architectures and cityscapes of the valley, we must state here that the flyovers and overhead bridges in Kathmandu need to be architecturally fore grounded. They should evoke certain faces and facets of the traditional architectures of the cities of the valley. They can emulate the styles of famous sculptures of lions and elephants, which stand neglected in front of the old palaces, the marvelously carved out pavements, walls, struts and mandala as well as some of the powerful images from the architectural memories of the cities. As architectural constructs of the modern times, they must reflect that they are part and parcel of the world famous architectural heritage that this valley is famous for in the world. They should also compensate for the great many open spaces, chowks, hitis and other public spaces that have disappeared in the valley with the passing of time.

As people ascend them to reach to the other side of the road, the space in between can be developed as a medium to facilitate an architectural journey back into the past. Designed in such forms, flyovers and overhead bridges can evoke feelings of love and concerns for our art and cultural heritage that our forefathers had created in the long past. They can be as much dearer as several architectural spaces in the valley are to us. Moreover, if designed properly they can become very powerful manifestations of performance of an architectural heritage of the valley that we are so much proud of.

The architectural predicaments that the cities of the valley have been facing call upon the members of the civil society, architects and lovers of the cities to sit together and ponder over the architectural dimensions that the cities in the valley must practice in the days to come. We all agree that flyovers and overhead bridges have become essential for the cities in the valley as streets here remain overcrowded and we find it very difficult to cross the road. But when we sit to design them, we should make sure that they compensate for the sad loss of the traditionally important architectural spaces.

Moreover, flyovers and overhead bridges form strong elements of the streetscapes. That is why they need to be tamed to preserve the beauty of the cities. When an architecturally-important city like Kathmandu decides to construct flyovers, the authorities must dare to turn it into architecturally-striking pronounced spaces. As lovers of the architectures of the valley, we strongly believe that flyovers and overhead bridges in Kathmandu can surprise the world provided that they are designed keeping our history and heritage in mind.

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