Walkability in planned urban environments: Evaluating policy and planning gaps – A case study of Chandigarh

Walking is one of the easiest ways to promote better health, sustainability, and safe city environments. Le Corbusier conceived Chandigarh as a “model city,” emphasizing greens, neighborhood planning, functional zoning, and traffic separation. This initially created an equitable, walkable environment in the city. However, today, this “ideal” planned city is car-dominated, making pedestrian movement challenging and unsafe along its roads. This study explores why Chandigarh suffers from poor walkability.

Methods

Nine sectors, including Sector 17 (the Central Business District), are chosen as the study area. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, using a photographic survey to document pedestrian infrastructure and surveying 209 regular walkers to identify key challenges. The findings prioritize issues, while a policy review assesses their alignment with Chandigarh's planning framework.

Results

The study identifies significant obstacles to walkability, such as obstructed zebra crossings, street harassment, poorly maintained sidewalks (footpath), single-use zoning with scattered services, fear of crime, and limited crossing time intervals, as well as discontinuous and obstructed sidewalks (footpaths) with poorly marked zebra crossings.

Conclusions

Despite its original vision of a “model” city, Chandigarh has transformed into a car-centric environment that discourages walking. This case study highlights the gap between planning ideals and urban realities, demonstrating how even a purpose-built planned city can fail to meet its fundamental goals.