The growing population of a fast-paced city like Mumbai demands more residential, commercial, institutional, and recreational structures which leads to an extensive surge in the urbanization and the widespread increase of the ‘Concrete jungle’ in the city. Although the establishment of new open spaces has proved to be extremely daunting in Mumbai where the scarcity of land is alarming, the conservation, upliftment, and revival of existing public open spaces requires immediate attention for the improvement of the mental and physical health of all citizens.

Understanding the gravity of the situation, a young architectural design firm, Atelier ARBO coordinated with the local authorities of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to rekindle the lost charm of an old land sprawled along the Bandstand Promenade and transformed it into a fresh and usable public park named Bandstand Park 2.

Proximity to famous landmarks like Bandra Fort, Taj Land’s End Hotel, and a renowned celebrity’s bungalow named Mannat (veteran actor Shah Rukh Khan), leads to a vast population of visitors frequenting the promenade. Considering this, the renovation of the park proved to be necessary for the relaxation and recreation of the visitors and locals alike.

The entrance to the park faces the main road that runs beside the park, and on entering, a well-groomed pathway, flowing continuously throughout the park, navigates a visitor through the different zones. The central zone of the park hosts a spacious gazebo area for musical bands and musicians to perform and practice, paying homage to the original concept of Bandstand promenade which was used as a place where musical bands used to perform.

The Park hosts two gardens on either side of the central gazebo. These gardens are surrounded by lush green vegetation and fragrant flowering plants, and are open green lands on which children can engage in free play and outdoor sports. The pathway traverses smoothly around all these zones with seating spaces provided on both sides for relaxation and rest. Some of these seating spaces are covered by overhead trellises with beautiful climbers and creepers growing on them to create partly shaded areas having fascinating effects of light and shadow. The trellises cast an overall effect of natural beauty and curiosity for the visitors walking and sitting under them. The sweet fragrance of the creepers growing on the trellises immerse a person in the calming and aromatic atmosphere of the park.

With the vast and expansive sea being located right next to the park, the renewed design included separate seating corners at the sea-facing edges of the park, where visitors can sit, have a conversation, or simply gaze at the mesmerizing beauty of the sea waves and the exotic, warm hues which fill the sky at sunset.

Atelier ARBO and the local municipal authorities envisioned an open green public space for all the frequent visitors and the locals of Bandra region in the form of Bandstand Park 2. The Park portrays an important role in the concept of placemaking for the city of Mumbai, and hopes to become an inspiring example for further upgradation and upliftment of the various unused open spaces of Mumbai.