Right of Way: The right to walk safely demands more than urban design standards for demarcated pavements
The Supreme Court's recognition of walking on footpaths as a fundamental right has sparked a debate on the effectiveness of India's urban design standards. Experts argue that rigid, centralized guidelines often fail to account for the diverse and complex realities of Indian city streets.
Why it matters
This highlights the disconnect between top-down urban planning policies and the practical infrastructure needs of rapidly growing, dense Indian cities.
The Supreme Court’s recent judgment, which recognises walking on demarcated footpaths as a fundamental right, has urban designers celebrating the scaling of well-designed streets nationwide. As India pursues Viksit Bharat, the ruling offers a real opportunity to reshape streets that have long defied the Western sense of urban order our planning norms espouse.
Prevailing urban design standards in India already institutionalise space for safe pavements within street rights-of-way. Yet the human cost of unsafe streets remains stark — a Government of India report shows the top 10 cities accounted for 46.34% of road accident deaths among all 50 Million-Plus Cities in 2024, with pedestrians accounting for 20.6%. Delhi recorded the highest toll, followed by Bengaluru and Jaipur.
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