Narayan Chaur stands out as a hub for urban restoration in a city notorious for its congestion and lack of parks; a community came together to restore an open space for public use. Children can be seen swinging and sliding, and the elderly can be seen walking slowly along the stone walks and sun-basking.
The Nandi Keshwor Garden (as it is formally known), which is spread across a hectare in the heart of Kathmandu and flanked by modern office complexes, provides an oasis of green amidst the concrete turmoil around it. This was a stinky rubbish dump plagued with drug traffickers until five years ago. It got to the point where residents of the area refused to leave their homes after dark. Work on the rehabilitation began in 2012 and included considerations such as tree species selection and catastrophe preparedness, all while guaranteeing that the drug pushers would not return.
Narayan Chaur, which was well prepared for the calamity with safety boxes, six water recharge wells, and solar lighting, provided shelter for hundreds of people following the earthquake.
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