Popular Transport and Inclusive Cities - A Columbia World Projects initiative

Popular Transport and Inclusive Cities: Improving everyday mobility for women and children in Mumbai & Ahmednagar

The project aims to address the entrenched mobility exclusion experienced by women and children in peripheral and relocated communities. In these neighborhoods, reliable and safe transport to school, healthcare, and work is often scarce, and informal auto-rickshaw systems—despite being essential for last-mile connectivity—are typically left out of formal planning. The project explicitly targets the disconnect between past housing resettlement and transport infrastructure, and the resulting safety risks and travel burdens borne by women and children. 

How it works

The team is deploying a community-led, data-driven strategy: participatory mapping, digital data tools, and collaborative design with women’s collectives, local transport operators, and civic stakeholders. A living-lab approach will test pilot interventions that include new rickshaw routes, driver sensitivity training, and infrastructure improvements. The project will also prototype integrated community–mobility hubs that bundle childcare, access to information, and tailored rickshaw connectivity—and serve as on-the-ground data-collection and advocacy points. Findings will be translated into policy briefs, public exhibitions, and peer-reviewed publications to lay a foundation for broader systems change. 

Who is involved

The initiative is a partnership between Columbia University researchers and India-based organizations SPARC (Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres), Mahila Milan, KRVIA (Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies), URBZ, The Urban Catalysts, and the Columbia Global Center Mumbai—combining local trust and field experience with academic support. 

What impact it aims for

The project seeks to directly benefit 10,000+ people and inform urban mobility planning at state and national levels, reframing popular transport as a vital urban asset. Longer-term objectives include institutionalizing inclusive transport policies and creating scalable inter-city learning models that link larger and smaller urban centers. 

“We are committed to a deeply engaged, long-term approach with communities, one that continues until meaningful change is visible on the ground… towards an on-ground impact.” 

— Alex Mohan Kandathil (SPARC). 

By bringing together community-led planning, auto-rickshaw providers, and digital tools, the project charts a practical pathway toward more connected, inclusive, just, livable, and resilient cities.