Project Description

The Kalyanpur Canal, once a vital waterway in Dhaka, now suffers from severe pollution, encroachment, and social neglect. This project reimagines the canal as a regenerative urban commons- a healing corridor that restores ecological balance, fosters community dignity, and celebrates local identity. 

Anchored in principles of circular urbanism and participatory design, the proposal transforms a 100-meter stretch into a layered public landscape. Native riparian buffers and floating wetlands revive biodiversity and filter runoff. Bamboo pavilions and clay walkways offer shaded gathering spaces, tactile comfort, and cultural resonance. A circular community hub powered by solar energy hosts workshops, performances, and stewardship programs. The design integrates waste-to-resource systems, rainwater harvesting, and piezoelectric paths demonstrating how infrastructure can be both functional and poetic. A memory walk with murals and oral histories reconnects residents to the canal’s past, while nature-based play zones engage youth in climate literacy. This intervention is not just spatial- it’s systemic. It aims to catalyze a shift in how Dhaka’s canals are perceived: from neglected voids to vibrant lifelines. By healing the Kalyanpur Canal, we heal the city’s pulse.