Design Charette Changspa Street

Activity:
Workshop on Sustainable Mobility:
Changspa Street
Date: April 18th, 2018
Location: Hotel Singge Palace, Leh
Participants: 21
Facilitator(s): LAHDC with support from LEDeG

1. Objective: To share the draft designs for the redevelopment of Changspa Street in Leh with multiple stake- holder groups and obtain local feedback and suggestions.
2. Summary Agenda:
   11.30am Welcome speech by ADC, Moses Kunzang 12pm Presentation by Adarsha Kapoor, Urban Designer, Creative Footprints 1pm-2pm Lunch 2pm-3pm Stakeholder group brainstorming sessions on the Changspa Street draft design 3pm-4pm Presentations from brainstorming stakeholder groups 4pm-4.30pm Address by Deputy Commissioner, Leh Avny Lavasa 4.30pm Wrap-up by Parth Gohel, Project Manager
3. Summary of Results:
   1. Make Changspa Road one-way from the main market to Shanti Stupa
   2. There should be no parking of vehicles along the stretch
   3. Encroachment/ illegal structures should be removed
   4. Reach on a consensus with property owners, shop owners and dialogue with the Army as they have a say in this matter
   5. Connect Changspa Road with Upper Tukcha Road
   6. Integrate platforms constructed by private owners with the footpath 7. There should be specific timing for heavy utility vehicles
   8. Demarcate pedestrian and vehicular roads with bollards, different colors
   9. Ask restaurant owners to make toilets accessible to the public
   10. Proper signage and maps at the end and beginning of the Changspa road

Avny Lavasa, Deputy Commissioner Leh, was the chief guest. Adarsha Kapoor, Urban designer, gave a presentation on ‘people-friendly streets and public spaces of Leh town.’ The subject of his topic was Changspa Street, which is crowded during the peak tourist season. He showed images of high-tourist footfall zones, and talked about the positive and negative effects of the increased footfall of the tourists. He requested the concerned authorities to take a close look at the Changspa Street and take necessary steps. Adarsha spoke about the mobility planning
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approach and the actions required to make it possible. He shared his thoughts to prioritise pedestrian movement and the need to remove encroachment along the Changspa street stretch.

Once his presentations were over, he put up a few points for brainstorming. The points were as follows:
 One-way movement of vehicles from Shanti Stupa to the main market
 No parking along the complete stretch
 No encroachment along the complete stretch
 Walking space for the kids of the Moravian School
 Development of public space at tourist accumulation points
 Encouraging property owners to develop pedestrianised public space adjoining Changspa road
 Street infrastructure like lights, dustbins, signage, information, kiosks, adjoining private property.

The stakeholders were divided into four groups and they were asked for inputs and suggestions to improve the proposed plan.

The audience was divided into four group and every group had to provide feedback and suggestions to improve the Changspa road.

Here are the following points on which all the stakeholders agreed unanimously:

 One-way movement of the vehicular movement from main market to Shanti Stupa
 There should be no parking of vehicles along the stretch
 The encroachment/ illegal structures should be removed
 Reach on a consensus with property owners, shop owners and dialogue with the Army as they have a say in this matter
 Connect Changspa Road with Upper Tukcha Road
 Integrate platform with footpath
 Specific timing for heavy utility vehicles
 Demarcate pedestrian and vehicular roads with bollards, different colours
 Ask restaurant owners to make toilets accessible to the public
 Proper signage and maps at the end and beginning of the Changspa road

Post-lunch, Avny Lavasa, District Commissioner Leh, attended the seminar as the chief guest.

Following suggestions were made by Group-I: one-way vehicular movement from the main market to Shanti Stupa, no parking along the stretch but provision for critical facilities, identify parking bays, dropping-off kids by parents at Karzoo pond, widen footpaths, carpool, remove encroachments, destroy structure at Alpha mess, hold discussion with Army for peripheral activities, connect Changspa Road with Upper Tukcha Road for congestion of traffic, encourage property owners to embrace the idea of a walking street and identify common areas to create space for important functions, ask restaurant owners to make their toilets accessible to the public, install in- formation kiosks, identify both types of tourists-day and night, give traditional touch to the architecture/streets.