Introduction

Kirti Nagar, started as a timber market, is now Asia’s biggest furniture market. Kirti Nagar is a one-stop solution for all designers and architects as it is the central hub for all furniture, interior, exterior material solutions with the best price available in the market. It is the oldest furniture market in Delhi housing famous interior showroom, boutique, kitchen accessories, skilled carpentry furniture, stones, tile showroom, kitchen and war drove fitouts etc.

Major Attraction

As we enter the market, the variety in itself is seen through different design themes on each building facade along the main road. One can easily demarcate between the old, new and the renovated structures. The architectural design of the building varies from French design to industrial design.

One can also notice that some showrooms have not made the effort to make a design statement through their facade. They believe that being one of the oldest markets in the area with trusted clientele over the years can itself serve the purpose.

There are a few eatery joints and restaurants along the main road for the customers who are visiting the market to buy furniture.

Unplanned Street Activities

With pros comes cons about the place. Being the first furniture market in India, there is no spatial planning visible in the main road of the furniture market. There is no consideration for green space either in the exterior nor in the interior. The focus was on creating a space for drawing the customers attention to an aesthetically curated interior space.

The street activity of the area is chaotic. There is not sufficient parking space considering the footfall. People traveling by their own vehicle, park along the road, thus creating congestion. The structures built along the main road of the furniture market is an example of unthoughtful planning and design.

The façade of the building does not attract buyers except for the few newly renovated structures. There are lanes that lead to the inner roads/galis from the main road. Along the lanes there are residential builder flats, furniture warehouses, fabric showrooms, local food stalls, puncture shops, local traders, small retail spaces, slums, all located along these lanes/galis. The street activity is chaos!

Initiatives

On June 18th,2022 there was a article published by The Press trust of India wherein the deputy chief Minister of Delhi, Mr. Manish Sisodia stated that the Delhi government will develop the iconic Kirti Nagar furniture hub here into a world class market.

Below written is the article published by the Press trust of India,

Sisodia interacted with traders of the market and took their feedback on its redevelopment that would be undertaken by the Delhi government. As announced in the annual budget 2022-23, the Delhi government will redevelop five iconic markets here — Kirti Nagar, Kamla Nagar, Khari Baoli, Lajpat Nagar and Sarojini Nagar.

Sisodia said under the redevelopment project, the entire Kirti Nagar furniture market will be given a face lift with underground electricity wires, modern infrastructure and a business-friendly ambience. “The Kirti Nagar market is an iconic market and after redevelopment, it will be counted among the most luxurious furniture markets of the world,” Sisodia said.

 A design competition will be launched for each market that will help in getting the best ‘out of box idea’ for redevelopment. Within 12 weeks, top notch architectural teams will be appointed to work on redeveloping these five iconic markets, said an official statement.

Delhi has several popular and iconic markets. Presently there are more than 3.5 lakh shops in all the retail markets of Delhi, which employ about 7.5 lakh people. Comprehensive redevelopment of the physical infrastructure, including roads, sewage, lighting, parking among others will be part of the project.

Sisodia said the Kirti Nagar market will be given a new modern look after redevelopment to provide better experience to both buyers and traders.

“All the traders of Kirti Nagar furniture market are very excited. The whole process of redevelopment is being carried through mutual cooperation of the government and the traders,” he said.

The redevelopment work in Kirti Nagar will be visible soon and it will be followed by branding of the market as per international standards, he added.

Conclusion

In spite of the number of the cons, Kirti Nagar furniture market has left no stones unturned when it comes to providing the best quality furniture in the market with a lot of flexibility in terms of price and customization.

The footfall keeps increasing everyday with people coming from all over India. Few measures if taken in terms of development can change the overall productivity of the market.

Street activity can be more organized and planned, more green areas can be encouraged, making it an eco-friendly street, Facades should be designed in such a way that it attracts the customer towards the showroom. The parking spaces can be planned such that it accommodates more vehicles hence preventing people from parking on the street and creating traffic congestion on the road.