[Sample] Chennai Marina Beach Promenade Redesign

Making Marina More Than a View

Marina Beach is Chennai's most democratic public space — 13 km of urban sand used daily by students, fishermen, vendors, tourists, and families from every income group. The 4 km promenade redesign, focused on the central stretch from the Lighthouse to the Anna Memorial, addresses the persistent failures of the existing infrastructure: crumbling paving, absent shade, inaccessible beach edges, and inadequate sanitation.

The intervention replaces the degraded asphalt promenade with a 6 m wide granite-chip surface, flush with sand to avoid the edge conditions that trap wheelchair users. Eleven new shade canopies — each 18 m in diameter and inspired by the form of a fishing net — are distributed at 350 m intervals, each with integrated seating, drinking water, and a power point for street vendors.

“Marina Beach belongs to everyone in Chennai. This project is about making sure that is actually true, not just something we say.”

— Commissioner, Greater Chennai Corporation

Six universally accessible beach-access ramps — the first of their kind on Marina Beach — descend to the sand with a 1:12 gradient on firm aggregate, enabling wheelchair access to the water's edge. The project also included complete underground utility replacement along the corridor, removing 42 overhead power poles from the beachfront sightline.