CYCLE CHALAO!A comparison of women’s mobility in two slum communities within Ahmedabad

images: surveying women in Khodianagar, women’s discussion in Jivraj nagar

Erika LinenfelserAcademic Supervisor: Trilochan PandeyProject Advisors: Professor Rutul Joshi, CEPT University +Anuj Malhotra, Centre for Green Mobility School for International Training India: Sustainable Development and Social Change ProgramSpring 2013

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Acknowledgements

Thank you so much to all those who helped me complete this research. Anuj Malhotra and your wonderful family, thank you for opening your hearts and helping me with such generosity. Anuj, you challenged me, and gave me such opportunities to further my research, and I can only hope that my work will contribute to your ongoing efforts. Professor Rutul Joshi, thank you always for your humble ability to keep my research on track and for providing me with countless resources and help along the way. Also, to my lovely housemates, Jocelyn, Jen, and Shiyanna; though we had many moments of absolute discomfort and stress, I have endless gratitude to you for helping me to grow and laugh off any worries I have. Also, my work would not have been possible without the support and help of: Mahila Housing SEWA Trust, Bharati, Usvarati, and Vikasini members Revaben and Jiviben and the numerous people in Khodianagar and Jivraj nagar for their patience with my endless curiosities. To my wonderful new friends for helping with translation, Kumar, Pooja, and Naheda, thank you for welcoming me into Ahmedabad and being a part of this learning process. Of course, I can’t forget to mention my wonderful advisor Trilochan-ji who I have dearly missed in the last month. And lastly, thank you to my friends, Guru and the rest of the gang on my block that helped make coming home everyday wonderful.

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Cycle Chalao! Contents

Abstract 05

Useful Acronyms 06

←← My Role & Limitations / Advisor Information / A Note on Translators 07

Introduction

Urbanization of India 08

Urban Planning Frameworks 10

Sustainable Transportation 12

Purpose of Research- The Extent of Women’s Mobility 16

Why don’t women bicycle? 18

Research Process 19

Objectives 20

Partner Organizations 20

Methodology + Time Frame 21

Background + Slum Locations 22

Significant Results 23

Women Bicyclists 26

Religious + Cultural Influences 28

Transportation Access 29

In Comparison to Men’s Mobility 30

Education 31

The Insight of Children 32

Summary of the Major Findings 33

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Conclusion- The Future of Transportation Planning 34

Culture of the Indian Street 36

Recommendations for Further Research 37

Bibliography 39

Included Images & Maps 41

Map of Ahmedabad 42

Children’s Maps 43

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Abstract

The need to address transportation infrastructure planning to account for rising urban populations is crucial to ensure the livability and sustainability of cities within transitioning countries such as India. The number of automobiles being added to urban areas is increasing at a rate that is drastically impacting peoples’ accessibility and mobility. The current urban planning framework within India largely does not meet the needs of women, the poor, and the most marginalized members of society. The focus of this research has three components; (1) to understand the extend of women’s mobility and how transportation accessibility impacts other factors of poor women’s livelihoods including financial security and social mobility, (2) to understand the barriers to women using bicycles, and (3) to understand two communities mobility as a whole, with attention given to children’s spatial perception. Through working in partnership with the Centre for Green Mobility, and Mahila Housing SEWA Trust, surveys, interviews, focus groups, and a children’s mapping exercise were used to explore transportation mobility and accessibility of two slum communities in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. Major findings indicate bicycling may improve poor women’s mobility and that barriers to women cycling do not necessary stem from unsafe road conditions, but rather are rooted in cultural norms, religious traditions, community location, education and gender inequalities amongst communities.

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Useful Acronyms

AMC- Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation

BRTS- Bus Rapid Transit System

CEPT- The Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology

CGM- The Centre for Green Mobility, a newly founded organization dedicated to promoting and

designing safer streets for pedestrians, bicyclists, and bus users.

EPC- Environmental Planning Collaborative

ITDP- Institute for Transportation Development and Policy- An international organization’s

whose mission is to promote sustainable transportation options.

JnNurm- Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission

MHT- Mahilia Housing SEWA Trust

NMT- Non-motorized Transit, including bicycling and walking

NIUA- National Institute for Urban Affairs

PRIA- Society for Participatory Research in Asia

SAATH- An NGO whose mission is “To make human settlements an equitable living

environment, where all residents and vulnerable people have access to basic needs for

development like health, education, essential infrastructure services and livelihood

options, irrespective of their economic and social statue.”

SWATI- Society for Women’s action and Training initiatives

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“A protected bicycle lane in a city in a developing country is a powerful symbol, showing that a citizen on a $30 bicycle is as important as one in a $30,000 car.”

-Bogota’s former mayor, -Enrique Penalosa

My Role & Limitations:

As an outsider of India, my research was both limited and at times enhanced by my status of being a foreigner. For the most part, a significant language barrier hampered my ability to conduct research without a translator, though having multiple translators helped no just with the language, but also in understanding the cultural norms and context of working within slum communities in Ahmedabad. In addition, my translators helped push my work even further and knew what questions to ask in order to gain a more in-depth understanding of the livelihoods of these two communities.

Advisor Information:

Rutul Joshi teaches at Faculty of Planning and Public Policy (CEPT University) since 2006, where he teaches subjects related to land use planning, housing and transportation planning. His published research and interests are specifically related to spatial disparities, sustainable mobility and land use, urban poverty, mobilizations in/of low-income settlements and land tenure issues. His current research is exploring the accessibility and mobility issues for the poor in the cities of Global South.

Anuj MalhotraChief Executive Director for Centre for Green Mobility. Former CEO of ITDP’s Ahmedabad office, with expertise in street planning in design. He has a background in Architecture and Landscape Architecture.

A Note on Translators

Manesh Kumar works at the Centre for Green Mobility as the head of communications. He has 5+ years experience in the field of sustainable transportation and previously worked as a journalist for The Times of India.

Neheda is a masters student of communications completing her research on rural communication strategies. Has experience studying women’s mobility issues and studied the livelihood of women pushcart vendors.

Pooja is a masters student at CEPT University studying urban planning, conducting her master thesis on women’s mobility in Bangalore, India.

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Introduction

Urbanization of India

India is experiencing some of the highest rates of urban growth in the world. Between

1981 and 2001, the urban population of India rose from 160 up to 285 million people, and that

figure is expected to nearly double in another 10 years. In addition, the percentage of India’s

people living in urban areas increased between 1951 and 2001 from 17% to 29% (Padam).1

With urban populations expected to double in the next 25 years, is urbanization

inevitable in the progress of India’s economic growth?2 At present, 60% of India’s formal

economy is contained within the urban landscape, yet 60% of India’s population remains in

rural areas. This figure only reinforces the parasitic relationship between urban and rural areas,

as urban centers continue to drain resources from the surrounding rural areas (Mahadevia).3

As farmland is converted into industrialized areas, large-scale damming projects are

implemented, and mineral extraction continues to degrade the landscape, significant changes

in natural ecosystem processes are a reality, as urban centers require more energy sources.

With increasing pressure and drastic impacts on the livelihood of those in rural areas, more

people are forced to move to urban centers in search of employment, opportunities, and new

livelihoods. Urban centers falsely allude to a better quality of life, jobs, and social mobility, but

for many, this is an unattainable reality. While social mobility is possible, the negative impacts 1 Padam, Sudarsanam., Singh, Sanjay K. Urbanization and Urban Transport in India; The Sketch for a Policy2 Report of the Committee on Slum Statistics/Census. Government of India. Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, National Buildings Organization., New Delhi. 30 August 2010.32 Mahadevia Darshini., Joshi, Rutul., Sharma, Rutool. Integrating the Urban Poor in Planning and Governance Systems, India: A Workshop Report. Center for Urban Equity. CEPT University. December 2009.

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of urban life on one’s health including air pollution, congestion, noise, unsanitary living

conditions, and etc affect all, and especially the poor that are exposed at much higher rates.

Amongst all these issues that call urban planning and designers to action, the greatest

challenge Indian cities face today is the need for more transportation infrastructure (Dash).4

With nearly 600 automobiles being added daily to city of Ahmedabad alone, this is drastically

impacting the way people are able to move through space. Planning has created a vicious cycle

in which the construction of freeways and flyovers and prioritizing the private automobile, only

encouraging more people to purchase cars. And yet studies have shown that traffic congestion

rarely improves (Kumar).5 “Worldwide experience has shown that construction of high-capacity

limited-access roads as a means of managing automobile congestion in urban areas is doomed

to failure,” states Badami.6 Further, cars take up the most space, yet have the lowest passenger

efficiency. On the average road cars use 25% of the space, yet only carry 10% of the total

passengers traveling (Balachandran).7 Changing transportation patterns are causing longer

commutes, unsafe conditions for bicyclists and pedestrians are increasing, air pollution is rising

impacting living conditions, and public transportation is not growing at a rate needed to meet

travel demand. These changes in urban development and road congestion affect the poor’s

mobility disproportionally, as they spend a higher percentage of their income on

4 Dash, N., Sreenivasulu, S., Verma, Ashish. “Achieving Sustainable Transportation Systems for Indian Cities- Problems and Solutions”. Special Section: Sustainable Transportation. Center for Infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning, and Department of Civil Engineers. Indian Institute of Science. Bangalore 560 012, India. Current Science, Vol 100 No.9, 10 May 2011. <http://cs-test.ias.ac.in/cs/Volumes/100/09/1328.pdf>.5 Manish, Kumar. Communications Head at The Centre for Green Mobility. Presentation on 04 May 2013. 6 Badami Madhav G., Tiwari Geetam., and Mohan Dinesh. Access and Mobility for the Urban Poor in India: Bridging the gap between policy and needs. Paper Presentation at the Forum on Urban Infrastructure and Public Service Delivery for the Urban Poor. New Dehli, 2004. 7 Balachandran, B. R., Adhvaryu, B., & Lokre, A. (2005). “Urban Transport in India: Problems, responses and strategies.” EPC working paper 1-1. Environmental Planning Collaborative, Ahmedabad, India.

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transportation, have limited transportation options, and are often the first to be relocated in

urban development projects to the periphery of cities, where they must travel further distances

to employment opportunities. However, increased advocacy of bicycle lanes, bus rapid transit

systems, and more efficient transportation design are beginning to challenge the trends of

urban planners to prioritize the needs of car users.

Urban Planning Frameworks

“The urban planning as practiced in India today overlooks the complex inequalities within cities”

(Mahadevia).”8

Current urban planning within India’s cities has largely ignored the needs of the poorest

members of society. Advocating for the needs of the poor can only effectively be achieved

through a shift in the urban planning framework towards one that incorporates participatory

approaches of empowering communities to take part in shaping their city landscape. The

Government of India has made attempts at decentralization and increased public engagement,

with the 74Th Amendment providing one positive example. The 74th Constitutional Amendment

recognizes the importance of the role of urban local bodies (ULBs) by assigning these third tier-

governing bodies with specific civic duties. The purpose of ULBs is to increase the decision-

making power of local governing bodies, as they can best address the needs of their

communities.9 This is increasing the feasibility of making participatory planning a standard, as a

8 Mahadevia, Darshini., Joshi, Rutul., Sharma, Rutool. (2009). Integrating the Urban Poor in Planning and Governance Systems, India: A Workshop Report. Center for Urban Equity. CEPT University.9 Implementation of the 74th Constitutional Amendment., Draft Final., State Level Reform under JNNurm. 2011. <http://jnnurm.nic.in/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Optional_Primer_Primer-CAA.pdf>. accessed 29 April, 2013.

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way of increasing transparency, accountability, participation, and effectiveness of city planners

in meeting the needs of the poorest, and traditionally excluded communities. Specific attention

in this research is given to studying participatory methods of gathering data on transportation

usage and the values of the community studied.

India’s cities are planned with Development/Master Plans every 10 years, with

Ahmedabad falling under the purview of the (GTPUDA) Gujarat Town Planning and Urban

Development Act of 1976 (Padam).10 Though current urban development decisions are often

criticized for being ingrained within the corruption of the political world, Ahmedabad appears

to be have a more efficient process of implementing it’s master plans. 89% of Ahmedabad’s last

development plan was realized, while only 15% of Mumbai’s was implemented as a

comparison. Despite whether plans are actualized though, the input to decision making is still

largely controlled by those with the most power and money. For this reason, master plans are

either written in a void without true consideration of the poor, or changes are made based not

on reality of the people, but the skewed perception of the few at the top.

For instance, the new riverfront development taking place in Ahmedabad along the

Sabarmati River, while providing a service of making the river more accessible to the general

public, this project has displaced many poor people to the periphery of the city. This population

is already disproportionally effected by transportation options and employment opportunities,

and pushing them to the outskirts of the city into high-rise structures has a drastic impact on

the livelihood of these people.

10 Padam, S

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The process of development and land acquisition in Ahmedabad and all of Gujarat

happens through a model of planning called the Town Planning Methodology. Since 1978, this

system allows the city of Ahmedabad to acquire land without the need to purchase it for

development projects such as road infrastructure, public amenities, and most recently, the

Sabarmati waterfront redevelopment project. This scheme works by pooling together land from

multiple owners, developing about 40% of it, while the owners retain 60% of the land that now

has an increased land-value (Adhvaryu).11 This is an important consideration within

transportation decision-making, as BRTS locations increase the value of land, and the

accessibility of public transportation options. While such schemes have helped to improve

physical infrastructure, author of Ahmedabad: The Shock City of Twentieth-Century India, states

in regards to Ahmedabad, “Its physical planning is good, although socially it still remains

segregated.” (Spodek).12 What is missing from the discussion is the voice of those who might

not own their own land, and they do not benefit from land redevelopment. For example in

recent survey, families with household incomes up to 5000 rupees make up only 13.7% of the

users of the BRTS bus system in Ahmedabad.13

Sustainable Transportation

11 Adhvaryu, B. (2011). “The Ahmedabad Urban Development Plan-Making Process: A Critical Review.” Planning Practice and Research, Volume 26, Issue 2, 2011.

12 Spodek, Howard. Ahmedabad:The Shock City of Twentieth-Century India. Indiana University Press. April 18, 2011. 13 Mahadevia, Darshini., Joshi, Rutul., Datey, Abhijit., (2013). Promoting Low-Carbon Transport In India., Low-Carbon Mobility in India and the Challenges of Social Inclusion. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Case Studies in India. CEPT University, Ahmedabad, India.

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Cities across the world are faced with the reality of rapidly growing city populations,

while the need for planning to address the lack of adequate transportation infrastructure is only

slowly increasing. With city populations growing faster than infrastructure can keep pace, many

cities are recognizing the potential for public transportation systems such as BRTS and NMT

solutions, such as bicycle-sharing systems, and pedestrian-friendly streets, to be solutions

towards improving cities. With the rise in the private automobile in the last century, the very

notion of bicycling, public transportation, and even walking are being lumped together as

alternative modes of transit. How have our cities reached this point? Our cities must be

reoriented for people, through people-centric planning and design that gives options, flexibility,

and access of sustainable transportation for everyone.

In the city of Ahmedabad, at one point the Ahmedabad Municipal Transport service

(AMTS) had a fleet of nearly 724 buses running, while that figure quickly declined in the 1990s

to present day.14 In the last few years a revitalization of bus systems, with the launch of the

Janmarg system, is paving the way for reinvestment in public transportation throughout India.

Further, bicycling within India’s history dates back to the earliest bicycle imports in

1890. By the 1920s, the Indian Motorcycle Company was producing nearly 300,000 cycles a

year. Cities such as Indore and Pune for decades continue to have extensive informal bicycle

renting schemes and bicycling cultures, while they remain largely unnoticed in the world

conversations on bicycling. Increased awareness of existing systems, and the benefits of

reinvesting in modes of transit that do not harm the environment, are efficient, accessible to all

sectors of the population, and contribute to the positive development of cities, is essential as

14 Mahadevia, 2013

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India’s cities continue to grow. Recognizing the flaws Western cities have made in

transportation and neighborhood planning that forces people to drive, without the option of

taking public transit or bicycling is key towards challenging the perception and higher status of

the private automobile.

While bicycling rates have significantly decreased like most cities in India, 18% of

Ahmedabad’s population still uses bicycles as their daily mode of transportation (Tiwari).15 In

comparison, the percentage of trips made by bicycle in Delhi between 1957 and 1994 dropped

from 36% to a mere 7% (Badami).16 Kumar Manish, communications officer at the Centre for

Green Mobility, states that “Ahmedabad, a city of 6.4 million people, is adding 600 new vehicles

every day. The situation is no different in other cities…”(Manish).17 Amongst these vehicles,

roughly 45% are motorcycles/scooters. Changes in transportation mode bring increased

mobility to a few, while reducing the passenger efficiency of the streets for all, increasing noise

and air pollution and contribute to an increase of unsafe conditions for pedestrians and

bicyclists. However, Ahmedabad’s streets tend to be safer for pedestrians and cyclists in

comparison to other cities in India, though accidents have risen in the last decade (Tiwari).18

15 Tiwari, Geetam., Jain, Himani. Bicycles in Urban India. Institute of Urban Transport (India). Urban Transport Journal, December 2008. 16 Badami Madhav G.17 Manish, Kumar. Communications Head at The Centre for Green Mobility. Presentation on 04 May 2013. 18 Tiwari, Geetam

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Tiwari19

Transportation choice is a false reality for many. In Gujarat, 3.7 million people or nearly

20% of the urban population lives in slum areas.20 This figure reflects the reality of many states

in India, and it is these residents of urban India do not have the choice of their mode of transit,

but are forced by their location, what they can afford, whether public transportation is

19 Tiwari, Geetam20 Report of the Committee on Slum Statistics/Census. Government of India. Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, National Buildings Organization., New Delhi. 30 August 2010.

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available, convenient and timely, or whether the transit mode is safe, flexible, or practical for

their job’s purpose. Often bus systems do not meet the needs of women working as household

helpers as they need a mode of transit that is both affordable and flexible because their job

requires a number of short, scattered trips. In addition, the poor spend a disproportional

amount of their income on transportation, with “Transport expenditure account[ing] for about

12% of total household [income]“ (Badami).21

Despite better planning and more public transportation, Ahmedabad, still faces the

realities of large numbers of migrants moving to the city, the need for safer streets, and a

prioritization of making its’ planning process more transparent and inclusive. An analysis of the

transportation mobility of women within two slum communities in Ahmedabad will reveal the

need for planning that incorporates the travel patterns of the poor, and particularly women

within decision-making.

The Extent of Women’s Mobility

Purpose of Research

Barriers to women’s mobility do not only affect women in developing countries, but

addressing the specific needs of women in regards to transportation is becoming a world-wide

discussion. Recognizing the importance of planning specifically for women is gaining more

attention as the awareness of the disproportional dangers women face is becoming apparent. A

conference organized by the Transportation Research Board in the United States22 in 2004

21 Badami Madhav G22 Research on Women’s Issues in Transportation. Transportation Research Board Conference Proceedings 35. Report of a Conference. Volume 1: Conference Overview and Plenary Papers. Transportation Research Board.

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focused completely on addressing the various factors that lead to differences in transportation

choices between genders. Ranging from topics such as residential location on travel behavior in

Chennai, India, to gender differences in bicycling behavior, this conference helped created a

springboard for further research on women’s transportation issues.

The discussion is ever more present in India with the recent rape occurrences, as well as

the use of a women’s-only metro carriage in Delhi calling attention to women’s safety on public

transportation systems and violence against women. In a survey conducted by the Delhi police

in 2004, 40% of women stated feeling unsafe traveling at night, and amongst molestation cases,

almost 45% took place on public buses, and another 25% on the roadside.23 Not only do

women face dangerous conditions and limitations to traveling, but they are disproportionally

restricted by mobility in low-income households. “Women's greater domestic responsibilities -

their transport and travel status. The lower the income of a household the more probable it is

that women will experience greater transport-deprivation as compared to men” (Grieco).24

Previous studies on transportation and mobility have provided some useful context for

women’s mobility in Ahmedabad. In the recent report, Promoting Low-Carbon Transport in

India, the authors conducted surveys in 12 slum communities throughout Ahmedabad,

collecting information about the poor’s transportation choices. While the focus of this report is

Chicago Illinois. November 18-20, 2004. Published in Washington D.C. 2005. Accessed April 23, 2013. <http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/conf/cp35v2.pdf>.23 Is This Our City? Mapping Safety for Women in Delhi. (2012). Report published by Jagori. New Delhi, India. <http://jagori.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/IS-THIS-OUR-CITY.pdf> 24 Greico, M., Turner, J., 1997, Gender, poverty and transport: A call for policy attention, Presentation notes of talk delivered at the UN International Forum on Urban Poverty (HABITAT), 'Governance and participation: practical approaches to urban poverty reduction. Towards cities for the new generation', Florence, November, 1997

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to discuss the effectiveness of the local as well as national BRTS systems, the data included

brings attention to the incredible gender disparity amongst bicyclists. Amongst daily trips, only

1.8% of women’s trips are made by bicycle, while that figure is 19.5% for men. Walking makes

up 58.9% and 29.7% for women and men respectively (Mahedvia).25 Further, women’s trips

only make up a 1/3 of daily trips as a whole. In addition, in all modes of transit, men travel

further than women, with their average trip lengths being 5.25 km for men and 3.2 km for

women. Despite the shorter travel distances, women take shared rickshaws almost equally, and

do not bicycle. Shorter trips should result in higher bicycle use, but this is not the case.

Why don’t women bicycle?

In exploring women’s mobility, a large focus of this research is to understand what

barriers exist to women bicycling, as in certain circumstances, it may serve the unique needs of

women best because of the nature of women’s travel patterns and shorter travel distances.

Transportation planner, bicycle advocate, and women’s activist, Dr. Anvita Arora, states that

patriarchy, a lack of respect for cyclists, harassment, and lack of safe road conditions, are some

of prime barriers to women as bicyclists26 (Joshi).

Recognizing transportation mobility as a barrier to women’s independence and how

bicycling can be used as a tool of empowerment has led to successful initiatives such as the

Mukhyamantri Balike Cycle Yojna program set up by the government of Bihar. This program

provides 2,000 rupee checks to females upon passing 8th standard for the purpose of

25 Mahadevia, Darshini., Joshi, Rutul., Sharma, Rutool. Integrating the Urban Poor in Planning and Governance Systems, India: A Workshop Report. Center for Urban Equity. CEPT University. December 2009. 26 Joshi, Richa. Gender and Wheels. Center for Science and Environment. 2010. Accessed April 25, 2013. <http://www.cseindia.org/agenda2010/wheels.htm>.

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purchasing a bicycle to ride to school. A large number of girls were not attending school, as the

time spent walking to and from school, coupled with household responsibilities placed too

much stress on these young girls. Dropping out of school significantly decreases the chance of

social and financial mobility, as these women must continue to work jobs with the limited skills

they have thus far. Increasing the transportation mobility of these young girls has radically

decreased the drop out rate, and is ensuring greater access to higher education.

Research process

The purpose of this research is to explore women’s transportation mobility, as it relates

to that of her community by also touching upon children’s perceptions of their streets and

men’s transportation mobility within slum two communities in Ahmedabad. In a comparison

between Jivraj nagar and Khodianagar, transportation mobility and accessibility are analyzed

based on household income, family background, physical location, transportation patterns,

community factors including cultural norms and religious traditions, and education.

Transportation mobility is also dependent of factors such as choice, safety, and convenience, as

these will also be discussed. Determining to what extent these two communities are limited or

empowered by their transportation choices will provide insight into transportation limitations

that poor urban communities in Ahmedabad face.

In this research, mobility and accessibility will be defined by barrowing the definitions

from Arora and Tiwari27 as,

27 Arora A. and Tiwari G. (2007), A Handbook for Socio-economic Impact Assessment (SEIA) of← Future Urban Transport (FUT) Projects, Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Program (TRIPP),

Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi

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Mobility- “Both the ability to travel to destinations of choice and the amount of movement necessary to do so.” Accessibility- “A description of the proximity of destinations of choice and the facilitation offered by the transport systems (including public transit and NMT modes) to reach them.”

A comparison between a community of women that bicycle as a main mode of transportation

and that of a community of women that walk, bus, or take auto-rickshaw is used to examine

whether the women of the first community exhibit increased mobility.

This research on women’s transportation mobility will be used as a component of a

larger research project being conducted by the Centre for Green Mobility in slum communities

to better understand the patterns and specific transportation needs of the poor, women, and

children.

Objectives

The objectives of this study are to explore the following:

(1) What factors impact women’s transportation?

(2) What barriers exist to women bicycling?

(3) To what extent are the women in these communities limited in their mobility?

(4) Is there an interdependent relationship between transportation mobility, financial

independence, and social mobility?

Partner organizations

This research was conducted with the guidance and support of The Centre for Green

Mobility, a non-profit dedicated to improving streets for pedestrians and bicyclists, and Mahila

Housing SEWA Trust, an NGO established with the “objective of improving the housing and

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infrastructure conditions of poor women in the informal sector.” These institutions provided

the necessary contacts and resources to conduct field research on the two communities

studied.

Methodology + Timeframe

Transportation patterns are wildly difficult to analyze, as they are dependent on such a

wide range of other factors. For this reason, a combination of oral surveying, interviews, focus

group discussions, and children’s mapping, were used as methods to understand the livelihood

of these people.

Through a comparison of two communities, Jivraj Park and Khodianagar, issues of

women’s mobility and accessibility are explored as well as the spatial perceptions of children of

their streets and communities, and men’s daily transportation choices. Between 29 April and 08

of May, 28 members, 14 each of men and women were surveyed in Jivraj Park, and 21 men and

12 women were surveyed in Khodianagar. Amongst the women surveyed in Jivraj nagar, almost

all use bicycles for travel, and were selected for the purpose of gaining insight into the

experience of women in a slum in Ahmedabad that bicycle. However, for a comparison of

women that do not bicycle as a control group, a focus group discussion of about 14 women was

also conducted in this community with randomly selected women, some bicyclists, and others

that travel by walking or bus. In addition, both women’s and men’s focus groups were

conducted in Khodianagar, with randomly selected members of the community. Lastly, within

both communities, 15 kids ranging from ages 8-22 were asked to draw maps of their

communities. While this study was limited in its ability to explore in depth the children’s

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perspectives, this was a useful exercise in exploring how understanding children’s perspectives

can provide interesting insight in the use and impact of community design.

Addition interviews were conducted with urban planners, community organization

employees, and community members of Khodianagar and Jivraj nagar to gather various

perspectives on transportation mobility, the current framework and direction of urban

development within Ahmedabad, and how it relates to the larger framework of development

within India.

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