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SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY

to community members, designers, collaborative spirit that inspired and formalise their pilot programs
and planners, fostering diverse cities. For example, the success of into permanent infrastructure.
perspectives to enrich the creative Kohima’s cycle repair clinics served
process and contribute ideas for as a catalyst, prompting over 20 The impact
enhancing these spaces. additional cities to create similar
facilities and thereby revitalising Through the Challenges, a
The designs were put to the TEST remarkable 15 cities have laid a
through practical urban interventions, cycling within their communities. strong groundwork by embracing
known as tactical urbanism. The conclusive phase, SCALE-UP, the Healthy Streets Policy, with
Innovations like segregated cycle aimed to encourage transformations another 17 currently in progress.
lanes in Pimpri-Chinchwad and the on the ground and secure funding The result? Over 500kilometress
temporary closure of a heritage for the city. A jury panel selected 39 of enhanced streets have already
site to cars in Ujjain showcased cities as “pioneers” for exemplary become a reality. Beyond these
the potential of these changes. A leadership, creative transformation accomplishments, more than 60
noteworthy achievement surfaced as on the ground, and extensive open street events and campaigns
numerous streets transformed from collaboration with their community have facilitated direct community
provisional fixes into permanent and stakeholders. In January 2022, engagement, subtly nudging toward
solutions, marking a significant step the top 11 cities, among the a favourable change in behaviour.
forward in this endeavour. pioneers from both Challenges,
were awarded by the Smart An inspiring close to a
Following that, the LEARN
stage offered the community and Cities Mission. national endeavour
stakeholders an opportunity to These pioneering cities are now As the Challenges come to a
contribute their perspectives on establishing a solid foundation by close, it is a moment to pause
temporary street interventions adopting the Healthy Streets Policy and witness the remarkable
through nationwide offline and and establishing committees to transformations they have ignited
online surveys. Insights from the enhance institutional capacity in cities throughout India. What is
surveys were then disseminated and drive transformative change. truly astonishing is that the changes
across various cities through an To bring tangible changes, these we have been tirelessly pursuing
information-sharing platform cities are creating ambitious plans in India for over a decade are
set up by ITDP India, igniting a and allocating budgets to expand beginning to take shape in a mere
three years since the inception of
these challenges. A decade ago,
proposing walking and cycling
infrastructure in a city may have
appeared far-fetched, but today it
is a full-blown trend, a craze that
has captured everyone’s heart.
Through these Challenges, cities
have honed their ability to create
better streets for people to enjoy,
walk, and cycle, and fostered valuable
partnerships, igniting changes on the
ground. We extend our best wishes
to all Indian cities. Their efforts serve
as a beacon of inspiration, and we
eagerly anticipate the opportunity
to share their experiences to inspire
global change.
Kashmira Dubash
Senior Program Manager - Development,
Tactical Urbanism in Aurangabad Communications, and Partnerships, ITDP India

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