Through a macro-to-micro approach, Laiba Tirmizi’s undergraduate thesis proposes tactical urbanism as a solution to explore and reimagine Lalkurti’s old neighbourhood. Tales of Lalkurti emphasizes the importance of a multifaceted design process that prioritizes the voices and experiences of the local community through the conceptual lens of a place-making game, ensuring that the neighbourhood is a space where all individuals, regardless of age, can participate in the community’s life. Through a gamified urban exploration, the design aims to bridge the past with the future, creating an inclusive and active neighborhood that celebrates its history and culture while promoting dynamic social interaction between locals and visitors who get to experience the neighborhood’s evolving identity. Through design, the forgotten alleys are reanimated, the urban voids are turned into spaces of pause and play, and architecture becomes an enabler of shared stories.

The inspiration for the project stems from the everyday animation of Lalkurti, its fractured yet fertile public spaces, the quiet endurance of its people, and the rhythmic choreography of daily life. Drawing from psychogeographic methods, the walk itself became a tool of mapping emotions, spatial behaviors, and sensory perceptions. Tactical urbanism, self-build culture, and modular craft practices informed the design language, where the city is not designed at once, but discovered and crafted in levels, each responding to a different actor, memory, and need. The masterplan is a spatial storybook. The heritage walk weaves through historically and socially significant pockets, temples, old markets, compounds, courtyards. Urban interventions are sited along the route, working as both visual and programmatic anchors. These include shaded seating zones, community info boards, playful installations, and craft kiosks, all placed strategically to revive public life and enhance walkability. The nodes are not static objects but responsive platforms. Some host mobile performances or workshops; others function as viewing decks, pop-up cafes, or storytelling pits. This layered approach creates an episodic rhythm for the walk, with pauses, surprises, and participatory moments