Sustainable cities in motion – Quality of life and commuter well-being

What if our daily commute did more than just take us from point A to B? What if streets could calm us, transit could uplift us, and travel time could add value to our well-being? In this feature on The World Symposium on Sustainable Transport and Liveability, held at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, in June this year, Trafficinfratech presents highlights from one keynote session titled “How Daily Travel Contributes to Quality of Life: Lessons from the Canadian Context” by Prof. Ahmed El-Geneidy, McGill University, Canada, and two plenary sessions: “Institutional Pathways to Sustainable and Liveable Cities” and “Aligning Transport and Urban Planning to Enhance Quality of Life”

Travel that feels good: Lessons from the Canadian context: At the heart of the keynote session was a compelling question: How does your mode of travel impact your quality of life? Drawing on a Canadian study, Prof. Ahmed El-Geneidy of McGill University revealed that walkers and cyclists, active mode users, report the highest levels of life satisfaction, mental health, and productivity. Even when covering longer distances, active commuters consistently felt better about their day and their work.

In contrast, those commuting by car, bus, or train showed lower well-being across the board. Transit users rated their physical health moderately well but noted limited benefits to mental health or workplace performance. Commute duration mattered; longer travel times tended to diminish well-being, especially for car and transit users.

The takeaways: Active mobility is more than a transport choice, it’s a public health strategy and a quality-of-life enhancer. Cities that prioritise cycling lanes, pedestrian infrastructure, and mixed-use development stand to gain not only environmental benefits but also happier, healthier citizens.

Strong Institutions, Better Cities: While active mobility brings individual rewards, citywide impact demands institutional strength. The plenary session on “Institutional Pathways to Sustainable and Livable Cities” shifted the lens from individuals to institutions, asking: How can governance systems enable better transport outcomes for all?

The session emphasised that robust institutions are essential for addressing crucial issues within the system. Drawing from examples the session demonstrated how a single empowered agency, backed by a long-term vision and coordinated strategy, can deliver reliable, integrated, and inclusive transport.

India’s own urban initiative, PM Gati Shakti, AMRUT, Smart Cities, and the National Urban Digital Mission were highlighted in the session. But speakers stressed the need to go further: aligning agencies under shared policies, strengthening planning capacity, and investing in tools such as the Indian Trip Generation Manual being developed by CSIR-CRRI.

As Dr. Jivisha Joshi Gangopadhyay emphasised, transport is a people-centric service, not just a technical system. Achieving true liveability requires multidisciplinary teams, transparency, digital integration, and community engagement at every level.

Designing for Dignity and Joy: Moving beyond policy and infrastructure, the discussion during “Aligning Transport and Urban Planning to Enhance Quality of Life” introduced the idea of Happiness Urbanism, urban designs that centres on the emotional experience of the commuter.

Presentations revealed how colour, greenery, sidewalk design, and safe street crossings can transform not just the look, but the feel of urban mobility. These seemingly simple features foster calm, dignity, and social engagement, particularly important in a post-pandemic world grappling with mental health challenges.

But livable streets need livable systems behind them. An idea that gained momentum is the creation of an Urban Transport Cadre – a team of trained professionals across planning, engineering, and policy, that can address India’s lack of In-house planning and expertise, who can institutionalise sustainable mobility in Indian cities. Shri Tejasvi Surya, MP from Bangalore South, expressed support for tabling this proposal in Parliament, signalling a shift toward long-term capacity building.

Another critical discussion addressed crowd safety, an often overlooked but vital issue in dense urban environments like India’s. The idea of self-optimising crowds, behavioural modelling, and a Crowd Safety Culture Scale were presented as next-generation tools to build urban resilience.

Finally, the panel turned to Transit Oriented Development (TOD) as a missed opportunity in most Indian cities. Without compact, walkable neighbourhoods connected by quality transit, urban sprawl and car dependency will continue to erode sustainability and equity.

Movement to Meaning: Underlying all three sessions was a deeper realisation: mobility is not only about logistics, but also about lives.

Good transport systems don’t just reduce congestion or emissions; they foster human connections, restore dignity, and empower choice. Whether through evidence-backed planning, inclusive institutions, or emotionally intelligent design, the Symposium highlighted a path forward where mobility contributes to joy, calm, and well-being, not just speed and efficiency.