Walkable cities can tackle India’s health, climate, and equity crises—making active, inclusive mobility central to its urban future
Image Source: Getty Images
As of 2025, India has surpassed China to become the world’s most populous country, with 1.4 billion people and a large, young, and skilled workforce. Global giants such as Apple and Amazon have capitalised on this by establishing operations and creating job opportunities. However, the rapid growth and densification of cities with strained urban infrastructure, especially in low- and middle-income countries such as India, often nullify the benefits of this demographic dividend. As India aims to become a developed country by 2047, a crucial question arises: whether walkable cities should be a part of the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision for economic and sustainable development.
It is important to focus on LMICs, as the conditions in developed countries, where much of the research on walkable cities has been conducted, differ significantly from those of developing countries, including the constraints of limited land mass, growing population density, and informality. Many Indian cities have areas with a high land-use mix and density, featuring a large number of people living in close proximity. Street vendors often occupy pedestrian space, forcing people to walk alongside ongoing traffic and increasing the risk of accidents. Alarmingly, pedestrians (44 percent) and cyclists (49 percent) accounted for 93 percent of road fatalities in India in 2022.
As of 2025, India has surpassed China to become the world’s most populous country, with 1.4 billion people and a large, young, and skilled workforce. Global giants such as Apple and Amazon have capitalised on this by establishing operations and creating job opportunities.
Indonesia faces similar challenges with narrow sidewalks often obstructed by informal food street vendors, tree roots, open sewers, and motorcycle drivers. The rapidly growing private car ownership rate in Indonesia from 12.3 million in 2015 to 15.59 million in 2019 mirrors India’s increase of 100 cars per km from 2022-23 to 2024-25. This growth indicates a vicious cycle where inadequate pedestrian infrastructure leads to dependence on automobiles, further constricting pavements and contributing to traffic congestion. Such an urban design has cascading impacts that go beyond physical safety, contributing to sedentary lifestyles and posing health risks via non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Recent events, such as the failures of cities to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus, have put into focus the importance of “walkable cities” for the health and safety of residents. Specifically, the connection between walkable cities and physical exercise, and thus to the prevention of NCDs. Studies in the United States (US) found that people in highly walkable neighbourhoods were more likely to engage in adequate physical activity, walk, and have lower body mass index (BMI) compared to those residing in less walkable areas—hinting that walkable cities may lower obesity rates in India.
The need for walkable cities to combat NCDs is most apparent in LMICs like India, where NCDs are a growing public health crisis. These LMICs, primarily in the Global South, make up 80 percent of all NCD-related deaths due to the negative consequences of socio-economic development. These include unhealthy lifestyles: smoking, lack of physical exercise, etc. India is a prime example of this, as NCDs represented 60 percent of all fatalities, while also compromising 67 percent of NCD-related deaths in the World Health Organization’s Southeast Asia region. The leading causes were obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases—all of which can be combated via regular physical exercise.
Comparing highly walkable cities such as Tokyo with less walkable ones such as Mumbai, highlights the issues within India’s urban design. Tokyo's high-population prefectures, efficient metro railway systems, extensive bike stations, and high expressway tolls promote multimodal active transport methods, thus reducing the average car ownership to 0.32 per family. This emphasis on physical exercise is reflected in Japan’s ranking in longevity and low obesity rate (4.9 percent). In contrast, India, with the third-largest obese population, faces an obesity crisis—40 percent of women and 12 percent of men are abdominally obese. Despite the overall weighted prevalence of diabetes being 11.4 percent in India, Type 2 is the most common form, indicating a disease of poor lifestyle. Additionally, 25 percent of deaths in India were due to cardiovascular diseases, higher than the global average. These high rates of NCDs can be due to the lack of walkable cities and pedestrian infrastructure, as the population is increasingly relying on automotive vehicles, thereby limiting physical exercise.
Well-designed walkable cities can encourage physical activity, serving as a powerful and cost-effective public health intervention. However, the benefits of walkable cities go far beyond health. They also contribute to improved air quality. As India confronts the twin challenges of a health and climate crisis, reimagining its cities for active mobility must become a national priority.
The link between walkable cities and improved urban air quality is becoming increasingly clear, especially in India. Chennai’s Pondy Bazaar presents a compelling example. The city’s Smart City programme focused on optimising road space to ensure traffic-free social spaces. This intervention saw a notable increase in profits for local businesses and the duration of time shoppers spend in the area. Additionally, the city’s 2014 NMT Policy, which mandated the minimum allocation of 60 percent of Chennai’s transport budget to construct and maintain NMT infrastructure, led to improved footpaths and increased the number of pedestrians by up to 29 percent. Consequently, Chennai prevented 4,000 to 12,000 tonnes of GHG emissions (the equivalent of 1,000 to 2,900 cars).
The failure to integrate walkability into national air quality planning reveals a fragmented approach towards mobility, health and climate. It also highlights that NMT infrastructure is still viewed through the lens of beautification aesthetics rather than as an essential urban requirement.
Furthermore, Chennai’s appointment of a unified transportation authority (CUMTA) helped manage existing institutional gaps and conflicts between agencies, ensuring that urban transportation issues are resolved efficiently. By granting the CUMTA jurisdiction over the entire Chennai Metropolitan area, multimodal transport systems can be seamlessly pushed— encouraging residents to take up public transportation as a comfortable and affordable means of travel.
Existing programmes, such as India’s National Clean Action Programme (NCAP), highlight the reasons behind the failures of Indian cities to improve their air quality. The original goal of the NCAP was to reduce particulate pollution by 20 percent to 30 percent by 2024; however, this goal was moved up to 40 percent by 2026.
The failure to integrate walkability into national air quality planning reveals a fragmented approach towards mobility, health and climate. It also highlights that NMT infrastructure is still viewed through the lens of beautification aesthetics rather than as an essential urban requirement.
Walkable cities are often recognised as tools for profit, increasing tourism and business for local vendors through beautification efforts. However, case studies from Japan and Chennai showcase a deeper potential that walkable urban environments can help mitigate alarming issues within LMICs, such as the rise of NCDs and worsening air quality levels.
As India reimagines its urban futures, walkable cities must be viewed not only as convergence points for health and climate action, but also as focal points for urban justice. Integrated and inclusive planning and implementation are crucial for creating sustainable, equitable cities in line with the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.
Despite these benefits, concerns about equity persist, and many social action groups in India have highlighted the limited consideration given to low-income population groups, many of whom reside in informal settlements and depend on affordable and accessible transportation. To ensure equity, walkable city plans must extend beyond affluent neighbourhoods, integrating NMT infrastructure into areas predominantly inhabited by low-income communities. India must also consider the long-term feasibility of walkable cities, scaling models like Chennai, which showcase the need for policies that prioritise interdepartmental communication and coordination to ensure projects stay on track. The physical safety of pedestrians and cyclists must also be prioritised by implementing policies that integrate crosswalks with lights and pedestrian call buttons, alongside zebra crosswalks.
As India reimagines its urban futures, walkable cities must be viewed not only as convergence points for health and climate action, but also as focal points for urban justice. Integrated and inclusive planning and implementation are crucial for creating sustainable, equitable cities in line with the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.
Tsering Lama is a Research Intern at ORF Mumbai
The views expressed above belong to the author(s). ORF research and analyses now available on Telegram! Click here to access our curated content — blogs, longforms and interviews.
PREV
