Reimagining Informal Markets: A Parametric Framework for Eliava Bazaar’s Regeneration

Informal markets constitute essential urban systems that support local economies, cultural practices, and social networks; however, they are often perceived as disordered environments and are consequently subjected to redevelopment strategies that risk erasing their embedded social and spatial value. The Eliava Bazaar in Tbilisi exemplifies this tension, where long-standing informal and self-organized dynamics coexist with urgent needs for modernization, safety, environmental improvement, and spatial coherence. This thesis investigates the capacity of parametric design to serve as a regenerative framework that reconciles the adaptive logics of informality with structured urban planning. A computational workflow was developed in Grasshopper to systematically capture, analyze, and translate key datasets—including movement patterns, clustering of activities, environmental exposure, and safety constraints—into operative design drivers. These inputs were normalized into scalar fields and encoded as relationships, thresholds, and dependencies within a parametric model, enabling iterative scenario testing and rule-based spatial generation. The findings demonstrate that parametric tools can effectively operationalize the inherent logics of informal markets, producing spatial configurations that are adaptable, context-responsive, and sensitive to both functional performance and cultural continuity. Rather than imposing rigid formalization, the proposed method supports an incremental and flexible reorganization of the bazaar, enhancing environmental quality, circulation, and spatial legibility while preserving its socio-economic vitality. Overall, the study argues that parametric design extends beyond its computational utility and functions as a conceptual paradigm for reimagining informal urbanism within contemporary regeneration efforts. It offers a means to integrate bottom-up dynamics with top-down planning goals, producing urban environments that are both resilient and inclusive.