"Static" spaces in Bhubaneswar transformed into "vibrant activated" ones to make Hockey World Cup special: Odisha CMO

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], January 18 : By hosting the Men's Hockey World Cup (HWC) for the second consecutive edition, Bhubaneswar is attracting international attention and the Odisha government has transformed "static" spaces across the state capital into "vibrant activated" ones.
The marquee Hockey event is being held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela from January 13 to January 29. Earlier, Bhubaneswar hosted the World Cup in 2018.
Odisha has overhauled the underutilized, defunct, derelict spaces around the "sports capital of India" into productive and functional hubs - a transformation from "static" spaces into "vibrant activated" ones, according to an official statement from the chief minister's office (CMO).
More than 30 sites were selected pan Bhubaneswar to enhance the city's imageability and add to the "experiential value for the citizens as well as the visitors", it said.
HWC 2023 acted as a catalytic force to kindle the impetus of this humble initiative for giving back the spaces to the city and its citizens - with whom it belongs, a "place for the people" and "by the people", the statement said.
Daily market plazas, pocket parks, streetscapes, roundabouts, and street intersections were major identified categories of public spaces that were designed, managed, and executed for rejuvenation within a highly challenging period of 60 days, the statement said.
"This collaborative approach set the best practices, a mix of creative heads and city management officials targeted to unearth the potential of public open spaces in city activation. Spaces that were encroached, or neglected due to lack of proper access/ sanitation/ lighting, etc., were chosen to be reclaimed. Through this initiative spaces were reborn," it said.
An area of more than 8 lakh sq ft has been covered with beautiful context-specific paintings, complementing the surroundings, and instilling life into the dull, mundane public spaces, the statement read.
The Odisha chapter of Lalit Kala Akademi was onboarded along with 28 groups of artists to undertake this mammoth task most imaginatively. The road landscape for around 25 km and near about 15 km were developed.
Similarly, two dedicated sculpture camps were hosted by the city in collaboration with the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and with funding support from the Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC), wherein 51 sculptures were crafted and placed strategically based on their theme in different locations throughout Bhubaneswar.
"The artwork and the sculptures were used as urban markers for aesthetics as well as the memory of the place and people. Each artwork - painting and sculpture, was curated to best fit the context, time and space to make it into a most approachable, enjoyable and legible urban place," it further said.