When we discuss the future of cities, the conversation usually begins with flyovers, expressways, towers and large infrastructure. These are important. But I believe one of the most meaningful tests of a city is much simpler: can an ordinary person comfortably and safely walk through it?
A walkable city is not a city without cars. It is a city where short journeys do not automatically require one. Homes, workplaces, markets, schools, parks and public transport should be connected by footpaths that are continuous, shaded where possible, accessible and safe to cross.
This may appear to be a planning detail. In reality, it affects health, business, property, traffic and the dignity of daily life.
The health case is already clear
The World Health Organization reported on 26 June 2024 that approximately 1.8 billion adults—31% of the world’s adult population—did not meet recommended levels of physical activity in 2022. WHO recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, each week for adults.
Those figures are global estimates, not a measurement of any one city. Yet they show why the design of our neighbourhoods matters. If walking is safely built into routine journeys, physical activity becomes part of life rather than a separate task that requires a gym, special equipment or additional travel.
Urban design cannot solve every health problem, but it can either make daily movement easier or quietly discourage it.
Walking supports the local economy
From a business perspective, walkability is often underestimated. A person moving slowly through a neighbourhood notices a café, pharmacy, small shop or service that may be invisible from a moving car. A comfortable street encourages people to spend more time in an area and return more frequently.
This does not mean that every road should become a pedestrian street. Commercial districts need deliveries, emergency access, parking and efficient traffic movement. The objective should be balance: vehicles must function, but pedestrians should not be treated as an afterthought.
Good footpaths, clear crossings, lighting, trees, seating and organised frontage can strengthen the entire commercial environment. Poorly planned pavements, open drains, random obstructions and unsafe crossings do the opposite. They tell visitors to complete their work quickly and leave.
Public space is economic infrastructure
UN-Habitat’s 2025 report on healthier cities describes green and open public spaces as important to health and well-being. I agree with the wider principle: public space should not be seen as leftover land between buildings.
A park, plaza or well-designed street creates value that may not appear immediately on one company’s balance sheet. It gives families somewhere to meet, older people somewhere to walk, children somewhere to play and local businesses a more active surrounding environment.
Developers naturally calculate saleable or leasable area. Municipal bodies calculate roads, services and public facilities. But the places between buildings determine whether the finished area feels like a community or merely a collection of structures.
Walkability must include everyone
A footpath is not genuinely usable if it ends without warning, becomes a parking space or cannot accommodate a wheelchair. A crossing is not safe if an older person cannot complete it comfortably. A beautiful promenade is not inclusive if people cannot reach it through public transport.
Women, children, senior citizens and people with disabilities may experience the same street very differently. Lighting, visibility, surface quality, kerb height, traffic speed and nearby activity all influence whether a route feels usable.
Therefore, city planning should not be judged only through drawings. Decision-makers should walk the route themselves at different times of day. Practical observation often reveals problems that a plan does not show.
Growing Indian cities have an opportunity
Fast-growing cities often build for today’s congestion and tomorrow’s construction, but not always for the person making a short everyday journey. Once every road edge becomes permanently occupied, correcting the problem becomes expensive and politically difficult.
This is why growing cities should protect connected pedestrian routes before land values and traffic make them harder to create. New residential and commercial developments should link comfortably to surrounding streets, public transport and essential services instead of functioning as isolated islands.
The World Bank and World Resources Institute have highlighted active mobility—walking and cycling—as a serious area for policy and infrastructure investment. The lesson is relevant for India: walking infrastructure should receive planned budgets, measurable standards and ongoing maintenance, not only occasional beautification.
My personal view: convenience should not defeat quality of life
After years of working around property and commercial environments, I have seen how quickly development can transform an area. Growth brings employment, investment and better services, but it also brings pressure on roads, parking, drainage and public space.
We should not reject cars or large infrastructure. People need both. But a successful city cannot be designed only from behind a steering wheel.
I believe every significant urban project should answer five basic questions: Can people walk safely to it? Can public transport serve it? Is there shade and lighting? Can an elderly or disabled person use the route? Will the public spaces remain maintained after inauguration?
The best cities are not necessarily those with the tallest buildings. They are the cities where ordinary life feels easier—where a person can reach a shop, meet a neighbour, walk to a park or connect to public transport without unnecessary risk and stress.
Walkability is not a luxury imported from another country. It is practical infrastructure for healthier people, stronger neighbourhood businesses and more liveable cities.
Sources and context
Current health figures are from the World Health Organization’s 26 June 2024 physical-activity release. Urban-planning context was informed by UN-Habitat’s 2025 report on public spaces and urban health and the World Bank–World Resources Institute report Investing for Momentum in Active Mobility, published in 2021. The planning and business conclusions expressed here are my personal perspective.
— Tushar Kumar