A portal to Indian Diaspora Experience
We live in a time when global cities are increasing in diasporic population due to international migration, particularly after the relaxation of post-Covid travel restrictions, migratory jobs, and study routes.
The project investigates the potential of retail space as a catalyst for a responsible and inclusive neighborhood community space in Rumworth, an ethnic enclave of people from the Indian subcontinent. It addresses their core issues related to urban space engagement, place identity and making, planetary urbanization, collective belonging, and collaboration.
I started the study of the Indian Diaspora to understand my situation as an international student who translocated for higher studies to Manchester.
The reinterpreted store fosters social interaction and diasporic discourse. This project could be an example of revitalizing corner shops in England, functioning as a neighborhood gathering space that stimulates debate and dialogue within and between different communities of mixed-ethnic neighborhoods to create a new perspective on diaspora experience and community cohesion.
A neighborhood convenience store, an Indian snack bar, a tea shop, a community meeting space, a handicraft and fabric retail store, a hobby and training area, and a childcare center run by the neighborhood's homemakers are among the facilities. The courtyard serves as a multi-use space for home-grown stalls run by the Indian diaspora.
