u/StatSigEntropy

My flight to SFO got routed to Portland and I got awestruck by what I saw. The uploaded pic is that of Portland (PDX) and not namma Bengaluru. The architectural similarities are wild. The wooden/bamboo lattice , heavy biophilic design, skylights casting checkered shadows, and massive indoor forest gardens.

I just dug up a bit more on this while I was there waiting for my connecting flight.

• 2015: Portland officially begins planning the "PDX Next" terminal expansion.
• August 23, 2019 : A full video walkthrough of Bangalore’s Terminal 2 "Garden" concept was released and went viral. It explicitly showed the hanging plants, bamboo lattice, and garden aesthetic.
• October 13, 2020 : The Port of Portland officially released the "Early Look" at the new Main Terminal design (the wooden lattice roof). This was over a year after Bangalore’s video.
• 2022: Bangalore T2 is completed and inaugurated.
• 2024: Portland opens Phase 1 of its new main terminal.

Along the way, I realized that Bangalore Airport actually hired a UK-based branding and design firm to help consult on its surrounding retail and entertainment villages. The name of that firm.. lol... Portland Design.

Did Portland designers rip off namma Bengaluru's design. Or is this just a classic case of two teams happening to hit the same design trend at the exact same time?

Often times Indian original designs do not get due credit and everyone taunts us for copying or taking inspiration from other works. But, I think this one requires more public boadcasting and taking pride.

The govt just dropped this massive full-page, self-pat-on-the-back ad for Ksrtc and Bmtc. It looks fantastic on paper but anyone who actually relies on public transport here knows the ground reality hits a bit differently. Some points on these

1. 740cr free tickets? : Empowering women with free travel is objectively a good welfare initiative. However the the raw numbers completely ignore the chaos it caused. capacity was never scaled up to match this massive surge in demand.
2. Project Majestic - "Plan Initiated" - why on earth would you call plan initiated as an acheivement. This usually means they had a board meeting and made a ppt slides. while, the actual bus station remains a chaotic, poorly lit, and unhygenic.
3. Digital Initiatives & "52% UPI Payments" : Lol. mentioning the 'Namma BMTC' app as an achievement is wild !!! Consider its. notorious bugs, fantom buses on the map, and a UI straight out of 2012.
4. New bus introduction: They claim thousands of new buses, including EVs. That sounds great until you realize why does the wait time on major routes feel longer than it did three years ago?
5. 120 Cr for Bus Terminals - thats a peanut considering the scale and the number of bus stands and stops. Half the stops does not even have a basic roof to shied commuters from rain or sun.

My 2 paise, spending taxpayer money on glossy ads doesn't make the daily commute any less of a struggle.

That first run meant more than the 100 :)

Saw this at Srinidhi Veg HRBR Layout. Is this a peak bengauluru moment?
I guess they are tired of people sipping a by two filter coffee for two hours while discussing seed round pitch or running a standup meeting :)

Got rolled out today - to raise complaints on issues related to potholes, garbage, streetlights, dangerous trees, stray dogs, mosquito control, park maintenance, or any other civic problems within the GBA limit. There are respective City Corporation Control Room too for registering complaints.

Some days I wish I got gridlocked in traffic just to gaze at the sky