As part of the preliminary phase of engaging with various Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in each pilot city, PRIA’s MobiliseHER team visited Ahmedabad from June 18-21, 2024. The visit aimed to gain relevant insights into the civil society ecosystem in the city and meet different organisations to understand it through a lens of gender and inclusive mobility.
In collaboration with CEPT Research & Development Foundation, (CRDF), Ahmedabad, Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) engaged with a wide range of organisations working on urban mobility, and intersectional issues such as safety and disability. The MobiliseHER project aims to catalyse the development of gender-responsive mobility systems in Indian cities through participatory planning approaches and stronger involvement of CSOs in urban transport planning and governance.
Picture 1: In conversation with Abhijit Lokre from The Urban Lab Foundation
This project seeks to create awareness through data and evidence about gendered differences in mobility patterns, identify gender gaps in existing mobility infrastructure and services, and address them through a participatory approach to transport planning and implementation. It involves working closely with two key stakeholder groups: CSOs, by strengthening their capacity to develop and promote gender-responsive mobility initiatives, and government authorities, building institutional capacity to support the adoption, implementation, and institutionalisation of gender-responsive mobility solutions.
Therefore, we initially engaged with nine organisations. While many of these organisations are leaders in the urban development and transport sectors, some have also made significant contributions to supporting women in informal settlements. Discussions with organisations such as the Urban Management Centre, and Urban Lab Foundation, and individuals like Keerthi Shah, who heads Habitat Forum (INHAF), provided valuable insights into the broader landscape of the city's transport systems. Their experience and expertise were crucial in understanding the access to mobility issues faced by women and marginalised communities, shaped by their economic, social, geographical, and cultural contexts. As most of them have been a part of planning and setting up the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) in the city, they were quick to give us an overall idea of it and the pros and cons.
To comprehend the specific challenges encountered by women and girls from lower social strata involved in informal occupations, our teams also consulted representatives from organisations such as Saath. Saath, who works at the grassroots level to identify community leaders, provided valuable insights into how poor informal workers living on the city's periphery struggle with commuting to work, often being overlooked by authorities. Additionally, many CSOs emphasised the need to rationalise the city's bus routes, which currently fail to meet last-mile connectivity needs, particularly for women, which results in them walking most distances. Ahmedabad Women’s Action Group (AWAG), an organisation addressing domestic violence among women, highlighted how mobility issues contribute significantly to domestic violence, noting an increase in cases where women were confined to their homes due to limited mobility. Additionally, how most of the girls are made to discontinue their studies minding the distance they have to cover.
Picture 2: In conversation with Jharna Pathak from Ahmedabad Women’s Action Group (AWAG)
Engaging with organisations that address various issues related to inclusive mobility enabled the team to identify the role of these organisations in contributing to the urban planning sector in Ahmedabad and how open and willing this niche of organisations is to collaborate and take initiative to a more gender-responsive perspective. At the same time hinting on to the diverse challenges different communities face in accessing public spaces, particularly urban transport systems. By learning from these CSOs about the travel patterns and needs of women and marginalised communities, both teams developed a deeper understanding of the project's context specific to Ahmedabad. This insight is crucial for addressing key issues during the implementation of MobiliseHER in the city.