Redevelopment of City Market

Sri Krishna Rajendra Market is a century-old market located at the centre of Bangalore. Yet the site it rests on has origins that line it to the genesis of Bangalore city itself. In order to understand the market as it is today and the necessity for urban renewal in the first place, it is important to analyse the spatial, cultural, social and economic evolution of the city, and the role that this market has played in these transformations.

In 1921, a new market building was constructed and named after Krishna Rajendra, Maharaja of Mysore, a ruler instrumental in developing and modernizing the Mysore State and  ultimately responsible for building the KR Market structure as we know it today. For many decades, there existed a pretty little elliptical park named after Sir Mirza Ismail, (a Diwan of the Mysore State) that provided color, greenery and public resting space to visitors of the Market. This park has long since disappeared in the shade of the Mysore Road Flyover that was constructed in the 1990s.

The already dense fabric of KR Market, when taken in consideration with future developments such as the proposed metro, makes it a prime area that connects diverse groups of people. However, with increased accessibility, there is also a commensurate need for better planning of KR Market to make way for new visitors and its potential role as a cultural hub.