Bhubaneswar: Ekamra Plaza, the gateway to the Old Town from the heart of the state Capital, is set to emerge as a major attraction for the city dwellers and visitors to the historic city.
The plaza, which would act as a link between the two parts of the Temple City, is part of the 5.8 km-long Smart Janpath Project of the Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited, which comes as a symbol of modern creative design for a liveable city.
Near the Ekamra Plaza, citizens can sit, relax and spend time, chit-chatting. Kids can have a good time in future with beautiful light arrangements, plants and flower pots enhancing the ambience of the area.
After some days, another point near Master Canteen Square would also have a beautiful line on similar platform “I Love Bhubaneswar.’’ All these are going to reflect the creative side of a city that is getting transformed from being an ancient capital to the modern Smart City.
The Creative City is a concept developed by Australian David Yencken in 1988. Later, the concept has evolved as a pan-world idea.
Yencken first mentioned his idea of Creative City in his article ‘The Creative City’, which was published in the literary journal Meanjin. In his write-up, he argued that a Creative City must be able to provide better places for the young and citizens so that they can work more creatively.
In the current context of Creative City, the beautiful murals decorating the city walls along the Priority Road Network, public toilets with creative lines to attract users, old traditions and cultural activities, heritage conservation, heritage walks, local arts and crafts would all come as elements.
“Bhubaneswar has become a city of change through creative ideas in use of technology and this has been reflected in IT infrastructure, transport, traffic management, future solar power harvesting and many things, which in the long run, will benefit the citizens,’’ says Master Apollo, a city resident.
“The crafts of the region and its cultural resources including the beautiful monuments are getting highlighted more and more with the initiatives like heritage walks. The urban cultural resources include the historical, industrial and artistic heritage of assets,’’ said senior tour guide Satya Swarup Mishra.
PNN
