The plan is organised in three parts. An active zone supports play, gathering, and events through a plaza, play areas, a small community centre, and entry kiosks that can help fund upkeep and local jobs.
A passive zone offers walking and cycling, native planting, shade, and a wetland reworked as an ecological buffer and monsoon-responsive swale - so climate adaptation is part of the landscape, not buried infrastructure.
A waste-to-resource zone proposes a municipal Material Recovery Facility on roughly 9,000 m² of former landfill: organics to compost, inert material into engineered fill and regrading - reducing illegal dumping and linking regeneration to a workable governance model.
Porous surfaces, limited built footprint (under about 2% of the site), multiple entries, decks, and road access improve permeability, safety, and connection to the neighbourhood, with basics like water and toilets for all ages.
Community tools (e.g. AR/VR for visualisation, murals, partner-supported little libraries) and bringing the site under the Town Panchayat support participation and durable stewardship.
Together, the proposal answers the brief's themes of access, resilience, health, safety, identity, and care - turning a neglected edge into a biodiverse, socially active public realm and a replicable idea for Chennai's open spaces.
From landfill to resilient park
Before
Disused landfill on Shivaji Street, Medavakkam - unmanaged waste, unsafe edges, severed ecology, low daily public use. Waste of public resource, negative social element in the neighborhood.
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After
Three-zone resilient park - active plaza + play, passive wetland trails, and a Material Recovery Facility - bound together by porous surfaces, native planting, and visible community stewardship.
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