From waste management organisations that have continued to collect and manage waste through the lockdown, to clothing companies that have repurposed fabric to make face masks, entrepreneurs are rising to the occasion but their innovation necessitates reciprocation from investors, government, and communities, if they are to be sustained and scaled.
 

To further the goal of creating liveable cities, Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) in partnership with Let Me Breathe and WRI India, is working towards reducing vehicular emissions and congestion in Bengaluru. “Improving Bengaluru’s mobility issues will require participation at different levels and through different stakeholders," says Sudeept Maiti (Senior Manager, Integrated Transport at WRI India).

Cities will likely be the predominant focus of the INR 2 trillion stimulus announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  WRI India's Pavan Ankonapalli (Lead, Urban Development) and Jaya Dhindaw (Director, Integrated Urban Planning) explain how to create an enabling environment to facilitate economic growth in Indian cities.

Prior to the pandemic, metros served about 8 million across 13 cities. Ensuring the safety of commuters on transport systems which experience passenger flows of of this density will need careful planning.

How can Indian cities take the recent cycling push as an opportunity to re-introduce the cycle as a preferred mode of transport? One way to do it will be to learn how other cities have revitalised cycling.

In India, 43 children die in road accidents every day. Not considering the needs of children while designing roads may have such tragic consequences. Cities must work for all, more so for the future generation that will grow in the cities. 

The traditional approach of bridging the revenue-cost gap in India through public subsidies will not be tenable as competing demands, to deal with the pandemic, will strain public budgets. Is it prudent then to explore newer paradigms for financing public transport?

If one were to open a Comprehensive Mobility Plan of any Indian city, it would show that nearly 60%-75% of the population either walks, cycles or uses public transport. However, the proposed projects and budget are always flyovers, underpasses, and road widening, which cater to the minority of the users.

इन कामगारों के सामने खड़ी चुनौतियां पूरी तरह नयी नहीं हैं, मगर महामारी के इस दौर में समाधानों को पहले से कहीं ज्यादा जल्दी पेश किये जाने की जरूरत है। अक्सर रोज कमाकर खाने वाले इन कामगारों के लिये वर्तमान आर्थिक प्रभाव भी कहीं ज्यादा विध्वंसक हैं।

For enterprises working in water, energy and waste management sectors, the lockdown has created a moment for introspection. Some enterprises are seeking ways to safely sustain or scale existing operations, while others are modifying their solutions or innovating new ones to find a new purpose during the lockdown.
 

Smart Responses to COVID-19: How Indian Cities are Fighting through Action and Innovation (Volume I)’,  a Smart Cities Mission report compiled by WRI India spotlights how 25 smart cities are combating the pandemic through innovative measures across 5 key areas.

Informal sector holds the key to Indian economy’s revival post-Covid. Government must have plans in place to help them prosper.

With India in its third phase of lockdown, and with the loosening of travel restrictions, the question now is: how will this pandemic impact people's movements and activities going forward?

The struggling bus transport sector has received a massive blow due to the Covid-19 crisis. It is estimated that the bus transport sector will lose around Rs 1.5 lakh crore in 2020 due to no and low-ridership amidst the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Ajay Nagpure, Nitya Kaushik, June 05, 2020, News 18

With new studies linking Covid-19 risk to bad air, India must collect and systematically study data from before, during and after the lockdown, and develop long-term strategies to reduce both indoor and outdoor pollution.

Across the world, cities are using this opportunity to rebuild smarter and more efficient public system. Meanwhile, India is witnessing increased use of personal vehicles.

New mobility companies, such as operators of ride-hailing apps, vehicle-sharing networks, and route planners, are poised to become a more sought-after option in the post-lockdown commute.

Dr. OP Agarwal (CEO, WRI India) focuses on how transport systems must be so designed that passengers are at a safe enough distance from each other.

To kick start our economy while adhering to social distancing, it is important for us to be open to new ideas, adapt smartly and reinvent our urban mobility system writes Dr. OP Agarwal (CEO, WRI India).

Public spaces bind communities, they are the lungs of a city, but the current reality has nudged people to question the impact of public spaces on their health and well-being.