When Cities Walk With Closed Eyes!
When the city walks with its eyes closed, it stumbles over its own promises of inclusion. It leaves behind those who Move Differently, See Differently, but belong just the same.
The morning sun spilled golden light across Ghanta Ghar on 20th April, as we gathered to walk. People from the Harit Safar Team. People with Disabilities. Issue Experts. Volunteers.
Just 150 meters. From Ghanta Ghar to Gulab Vatika, near the majestic Rumi Darwaza.
A place where tourists click selfies and vendors call out for attention.
A place designed for the Able Bodied eye, but blind to the blind, and indifferent to the wheels of tricycles.
Before we began, there were songs. Laughter. Smiles. Selfies. An assembly where safety instructions were shared, and where joy dared to bloom.
And then, we walked.
We watched as participants on battery-powered tricycles struggled to find a ramp. There wasn’t one. They had to detour nearly 500 metres just to climb a 1.5-foot-high footpath.
We saw visually challenged participants pause uncertainly at intersections, with no auditory cues to guide them. No voice. No signal. Just instinct.
We witnessed the discomfort of moving through a traffic system that sees with its eyes, but not with empathy.
And yet, they walked.
At Gulab Vatika, the walk turned into reflection. We shared a PotluckBreakfast under the shade of trees. Stories poured out, in voices, on video, on paper. Every narrative etched a deeper truth:
Our cities are not built for everyone. And when CitiesExclude, EmissionsRise. FrustrationGrows. /JusticeFades. This was no ordinary walk. It was a quiet /audit of how our cities perform when seen through the eyes of those often left behind.
That’s why the presence of 20 students and senior faculties from Babu Banarasi Das (BBD) University Department of Urban Architecture was so meaningful. They didn’t walk just for support. They came to listen. Observe. Record. Assess. With SurveyForms in hand and sensitivity in heart, they monitored how infrastructure fails, even in our most beautiful landmarks.
It’s not just a question of ramps and signs. It’s about rights, air, equity, and climate. The National CleanAir Programme already acknowledges that cities like Lucknow are choking with emissions, and UrbanTransport is a major culprit.
If we don’t build urban mobility systems that include the vulnerable communities, we’ll never reduce urban emissions. Sustainable cities must be accessible cities.
Stay tuned for a detailed report soon.
