Over the four years of my professional engagement with the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP India), I primarily worked in three verticals—Healthy Streets, Travel Demand Management, and Inclusive Compact Cities—and carried out:
Policy research and analysis for 10+ programmes and projects targeted at promoting people-centric streets, parking reforms, low emission mobility zones, sustainable urban planning, child-friendly cities, and innovative urban financing and budgeting.
Research and development for 25+ resources, toolkits, and guides targeted at decision-makers and urban practitioners, and also contributed to the preparation of Indian Road Congress' '103:2023 Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities'.
City diplomacy and technical assistance activities with seven cities in the state of Tamil Nadu to implement sustainable mobility projects prioritising walking, cycling, and public transport and curbing polluting private motorised vehicles.
Capacity development sessions through 20+ in-person and online workshops, study tours, and urban design discussions.
Design and management of two knowledge-sharing digital platforms to disseminate guides, toolkits, and templates for creating walking- and cycling-friendly cities in India.
In addition, I also supported the communications and outreach of multiple projects by devising influence strategies, hosting stakeholder engagement activities, rolling out campaigns, and writing blogs and reports.
Through this journey, I closely engaged with commissioners and city officials from Urban Local Bodies, Traffic Police, and the Development Authority, representatives from state and union departments for municipal administration and urban development, political representatives, civil society organisations, and the media.
Presentation on 'Funding and Financing Street Projects' at the 2nd National Healthy Streets Workshop, Chandigarh, India
Presentation on 'Road safety and Streets Improvement' in Erode, India: Inception meeting with Hon. S. Muthusamy, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Tamil Nadu, and the District Collector
Presentation on 'Healthy Streets Programme, Trichy, India' - Inception meeting with the Municipal Commissioner and team
Presentation on 'Scaling-up Healthy Streets' at the 1st National Healthy Streets Workshop, Bengaluru, India
Moderating panel discussion on 'Funding and Financing Street Projects' at the 2nd National Healthy Streets Workshop, Chandigarh, India
Healthy Streets
A 'Healthy Street' prioritises safe and comfortable mobility for all citizens through walking, cycling, and public transport, promoting clean and healthy commute modes. Below are the key projects I was part of and notable knowledge products I contributed to for guiding 100+ Indian cities to create Healthy Streets:
Led ITDP’s Healthy Streets programme in Tamil Nadu, India, to implement 20+ km of street redevelopment projects across three second-tier cities, prioritising walking- and cycling-friendly infrastructure.
Co-developed research and knowledge production strategy for India Cycles4Change and Streets4People Challenges, co-hosted by the Govt. of India and ITDP, prepared 20+ toolkits, guides, and templates, and led 15+ workshop sessions.
Led the Tamil Nadu Budget and Policy Analysis project and prepared pathways for strategic financing and scaling up Healthy Streets projects.
Co-led the implementation strategy for Streets4People Design Competitions in 40+ cities and facilitated the process
Prepared a Walking and Cycling Network Plan for three cities in Tamil Nadu, India
Conducted research for three Urbanlogue webinar sessions and prepared guidance documents for the green recovery of Indian cities post-COVID-19 pandemic.
Site visit with the Coimbatore Municipal Commissioner and Police Commissioner for piloting parking management neighbourhoods
Study visit with municipal councillors and officials to Bengaluru to understand parking management best practices
Presentation on draft Parking Policy reforms at the Coimbatore Parking Management Workshop
Travel Demand Management
By delivering Travel Demand Management (TDM) as a combination of strategies, I extensively worked to curb the use of private motor vehicles, increase the effective capacity of existing infrastructure, and shift travel by inefficient modes to off-peak periods to reduce congestion in Indian cities. Below are the key projects I was part of:
Led ITDP’s Parking Reforms Programme in Tamil Nadu, India, to create a state-level parking policy in alignment with public charging infrastructure requirements.
Led city-level Pilot Parking Reforms Programme in Chennai and Coimbatore for preparing policy mechanisms, creating parking management plans, and implementing three pilot neighbourhoods.
Supported the research and case studies phase in the pilot Low Emission mobility Zones programme.
Anchored ITDP India’s TDM Community of Practise session in 2023, facilitated knowledge-sharing, and defined our research areas.
Presenting at the 1st stakeholder consultation for the George Town Local Area Plan preparation
Inclusive Compact Cities
With the vision to build a comprehensive strategy for compact, mixed-use cities built around walking, cycling, and public transport, combined with investments in electric vehicles, I contributed to the following key projects at ITDP India:
Supported research for preparing a draft Infant-, Toddler-, and Caregiver-friendly Mobility Policy for Indian cities.
Supported the public consultation workshop for the George Town Local Area Plan preparation in collaboration with the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority.
Supported in reviewing and updating the Draft Green Urban Mobility Policy.
Concept design visualisation for redeveloping Mettur Road, Erode, India
Credits
All images are a property of ITDP India, unless otherwise mentioned.
