Growing third places: How Chennai’s pedestrian plazas are bringing young people together

If you are a Chennaiite, you would have seen the metamorphosis of the city over the decades. And when you stroll through the ‘cobblestoned’ Khader Nawaz Khan (KNK) Road or participate in the community activities at Pondy Bazaar, you can, perhaps, see a new side of the city playing out before your eyes.

Around 5 p.m. on a Sunday, the many benches on KNK Road were full, with a younger crowd swarming around and singing along to an impromptu music jam. While the pedestrian plaza makeover has been described as Chennai’s version of Bengaluru’s Church Street, some are not fond of the comparison.

“There is no point of comparison because Chennai has its own culture, and it is not overwhelmingly noisy here. My friends and I have been coming here every weekend ever since it reopened. We grab something to eat and sit on the benches along KNK Road,” says CA student Abinaya R. “It is better than just sitting in my hostel. We like the vibe here because everywhere you turn, it is like a fashion statement,” she adds.

Busking scene

Third places are essentially spaces where communities gather and connect, with home being the first place and work the second. Engineering student Swaminath P.G. was singing while his team was strumming their guitars nearby. He says busking in Chennai was rarely seen a few years ago but is now becoming more common on KNK Road, at Anna Nagar Tower Park, Pondy Bazaar, and elsewhere.

A street performance on KNK Road
| Photo Credit:
B. Velankanni Raj

“Busking and street performances are now being enjoyed by people in Chennai across age groups. With the pedestrian plaza and the lighting adding to the atmosphere, it has easily become an inexpensive third place for college-goers to hang out on the benches,” he says. Apart from street music, it has also become a space for photo shoots, canvas painting, and gatherings among friends.

Meanwhile, weekends at Pondy Bazaar have more activities than ever before for the younger crowd. A couple of students walked past with butterfly and lilac flower face paintings, pointing towards BCA student Keerthana Devaraj, who had been painting people’s faces at the pedestrian plaza beneath a tree.

“Pondy Bazaar never really catered to Gen Z’s whimsies and desires before, but now there are many college students like me who sell their handmade crochet products and so on,” she says.

Walking through the plaza, a few pedestrians were browsing posters ranging from anime to The Beatles, while trying their luck at a Pop It surprise game. Others were posing for photographs that were printed instantly in a newspaper-style format. Beyond parks and cafés, which are usually seen as third places, these pedestrian plazas are now becoming crucibles of community.