[WEBCAST] The Socially Distant City Commute
VIEW EVENT DETAILSBuilding Cities of the Future - Architecture, Urbanisation & Public Health: Part II
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Sprawling cities with large populations need efficient public transportation to facilitate millions of trips in a thriving and dynamic urban economy. Public transportation eases the burden on road traffic by allowing large groups of people to collectively navigate long distances in a short period of time. In cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata, these transit systems form the lifeline of the economy. Economic activities cannot resume completely until public transportation is back in service.
In the aftermath of the pandemic-induced lockdown, ridership rates have drastically fallen and emerging trends indicate a steady shift toward dependence on private vehicles. This choice, however, is not available for a large segment of the urban population who rely on affordable mass transit to save time and money on a daily basis. As the reality of living with Covid-19 becomes increasingly evident, the future of public transportation poses challenges for civic authorities and commuters alike. Issues of overcrowding and hygiene have been compounded by norms of social distancing which now form a part of the new normal. The task will be to re-establish trust in public transportation and strengthen the existing mobility infrastructure. Introducing safety measures such as periodic decontamination, sufficient ventilation and staggered flow of passengers can help quell fears of contagion among commuters. Digital payment systems and no-contact transactions can limit physical interaction, further ensuring adherence to strict hygiene standards.
The shared mobility sector, through bike-sharing platforms, can improve accessibility to metros and trains in urban areas and reducing intra-city travel congestion. In addition, this lockdown has presented a unique opportunity to build infrastructure that promotes sustainability through walking and cycling for short-distance travels, and electric vehicle charging stations for long-distance travels. Evidence from across the world shows that investing in sound pedestrian infrastructure improves ease of walkability and contributes to better road safety in urban areas.
How can India's public transportation sector evolve to meet current safety and hygiene standards? What can be done to sustain expenses with low ridership numbers? What must mobility providers, local leaders, governments, and investors do to reinstate public confidence and get transportation and mobility back on track?
Join us as we discuss the future of public transportation and urban mobility in India with Madhav Pai, India Director, WRI Ross Centre for Sustainable Cities; Shreya Gadepalli, South Asia Director, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy and Vivekananda Hallekere, Co-founder and CEO, Bounce. Sonal Shah, Founder, The Urban Catalysts will moderate the discussion.
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This is the second programme in our series on 'Building Cities of the Future: Architecture, Urbanisation and Public Health'. This series will discuss issues of housing, urban planning, transportation, mobility and infrastructure resilience with leading global urban planners, architects, policy experts, and academics. The discussions will share emerging ideas, critical research and relevant best practices to help design sustainable cities for the future.
Madhav Pai is India Director for the WRI Ross Centre for Sustainable Cities. Madhav has published extensive research on auto rickshaws, motorcycle safety, informal public transport, reorganizing city bus systems, bus rapid transit and long term externalities of urban transport systems. He is the lead author of "Bus Karo" a guidebook on bus operations and planning. He has over 15+ years’ experience leading, designing and managing urban transport programs and projects in India, Asia and the United States. At the University of California Berkeley, he was involved in shared mobility research assessing impacts of city car share on travel behaviour in the City of San Francisco.
Shreya Gadepalli leads the South Asia Programme of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, a global non-profit that works worldwide to implement high-quality transport systems and policy solutions that make cities sustainable and equitable. Over the last two decades, she has guided cities across the region to implement high-quality bus systems, create streets for all, and regulate the use of personal motor vehicles. Ensuring that women have access to safe and convenient mobility options is a key area of her focus. Her engagement with various national agencies has led to the creation of guidelines and programmes that scale up impact across the region.
Vivekananda Hallekere is the co-founder and CEO of Bounce, India’s first smart urban mobility solution, with a vision to enable access to affordable and clean mobility. Starting with a fleet of eight motorcycles in 2014, Vivek and the co-founders quickly realized that there is a larger market need for first and last-mile connectivity for cities more than a million-plus population, thus setting up Bounce. Being a chartered accountant by qualification, Vivek’s venture into the world of entrepreneurship stems from his passion for bikes coupled with his love for numbers.
Sonal Shah is the founder of The Urban Catalysts, advising multiple stakeholders – governments, development banks, philanthropic organizations and think-tanks on sustainable and equitable cities and transport. Over the last 15 years, she has worked across 10 states in India, in Asia and the United States. She was responsible for introducing India’s gender-sensitive urban planning guidelines and actively contributed towards revising India’s national urban street design guidelines (IRC codes) to make them people-oriented. Sonal has led projects supported by ADB, DFID, IKI, Oak Foundation, Gates Foundation, GIZ and Bloomberg Philanthropies.