Background

In India, a developing nation evolving at an exponential pace, urban centers are continuing to grow rapidly, and so are the concerns about inequality and spatial organization. With the nation’s population density constantly rising, especially in urban pockets, the rationale using which urban spaces are designed often leads to marginalized communities being pushed to the peripheries, with little to no access to essential resources such as schools, healthcare facilities, and recreational spaces. These ideas due to which certain communities are relegated to the margins also dictate invisible lines of social inequality, deciding who belongs where. 

Be it in how the space for non-automative transport options like bicycles, pedestrian walkways, and footpaths have continuously diminished or how slums have become more packed, the economic and social exclusion for lower class and caste groups have worsened over the years due to unequal spatial divisions. According to the 2011 census, approximately 36% of people in India rely on low-cost public transport for their daily commute, yet most are forced to do the same under suboptimal conditions (Shobha Surin and Shivani Dave). Studies have also found that nearly 60% of the country’s workforce, especially delivery personnel and those from informal sectors like street vendors depend on cycles or walking, making the need for adequate infrastructure all the more necessary for their livelihoods (WRI India). 

In light of these pressing challenges, CitySpace was founded to improve urban spaces for underserved sections, particularly by reorganizing space and bridging existing gaps in urban design. By focusing on sustainable transportation solutions, specifically through the promotion of cycling, this initiative looks forward to improving accessibility, reducing seclusion, and helping transform cities to be more welcoming for all residents.