In the heart of Surat—a city celebrated for its layered urban fabric, entrepreneurial spirit, and relentless momentum is an overlooked void beneath a flyover. Reimagined not as a neglected infrastructural residue but as a vibrant, democratic ground for play, pause, and community gathering, the space transforms its context meaningfully. Despite being located at one of the city’s busiest junctions—surrounded by schools, residential blocks, malls, and markets—this under-flyover stretch had long remained underutilised, despite its strategic position. The design intervention, envisioned for the Surat Municipal Corporation, reframes this interstitial zone as an inclusive sports facility, transforming an urban leftover into an active engine of public life.
Community Gathering Remains The Core In This Underground Public Space | Aangan Collaborative LLP
At its foundation, the project embodies a broader civic ethos: that beauty, dignity, and access in cities should not remain privileges of the few. By activating the underside of infrastructure—spaces often regarded as undesirable or peripheral—the project challenges conventional boundaries of what constitutes quality public space for community gathering.
It asks a deeper question: Why should we limit good designs and inspiring environments to elite or exclusive developments? In doing so, it ultimately positions infrastructure as an opportunity rather than an obstruction.
The spatial strategy unfolds through a fluid walking spine that gently moves through the length of the site. Surfaced with stone chips, the pathway serves both directional and anti-skid functions. It lends the ground a tactile, human character for community gathering.
Along this soft-edged walkway, a series of enclosed micro-cement courts emerge as robust, high-performance zones designed to accommodate varied sports and activities. These courts are encased in a lightweight envelope crafted from aluminium mesh and polycarbonate panels—materials selected for their durability, transparency, and environmental responsiveness.
This skin offers a balanced sense of enclosure and security while insulating users from the surrounding traffic noise and maintaining visual openness and natural ventilation.
Beyond its physical attributes, the project functions as a social catalyst. It bridges a long-standing void in a dense neighbourhood that lacks accessible open spaces and safe recreational grounds. The intervention sets a precedent for adaptive reuse of neglected flyover spaces in Indian cities, showcasing how infrastructural underbellies can be transformed into purposeful and uplifting environments.
Accessibility remains central to the project’s ethos. With minimal entry fees, no restrictive membership structures, and extended open hours, the space encourages shared ownership and broad participation. Children, teenagers, working professionals, senior citizens, and casual passersby all find a place within its boundaries. It becomes not just a sports venue, but a communal breathing space—a platform for physical activity, social interaction, and everyday urban engagement.
This intervention represents urbanism at its most human: layered, open-ended, and deeply rooted in inclusivity. In an age where privatized developments and gated enclaves increasingly shape city life, the reimagined Surat Flyover Under space stands as a reminder that every corner of the urban landscape holds the potential to be transformed—into a place of beauty, activity, vitality, and belonging.
Fact File
Designed by: Aangan Collaborative LLP
Project Type: Public Space, Sports Architecture Design
Project Name: The Under space Revival: Placemaking through Play
Location: Surat, Gujarat
Year Built: 2025
Built-up Area: 11033 Sq.ft
Client: Surat Municipal Corporation
Principal Architects: Ar. Vishal Shah & Ar. Vishal Desai
Team Design Cresits: Ar. Vishal Shah & Ar. Prakruti Desai
Photograph Courtesy: Vreidarch studio – Ar. Shivam Vasava
Firm’s Website Link: Aangan Collaborative LLP
Firm’s Instagram Link: Aangan Collaborative LLP
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