Reviewing the Universal Mobility of the Footpaths in the Centers of Historic Indian Cities through Field Survey

Abstract

In this research, the condition of universal mobility, in the centers of historic Indian cities, has been critically analyzed. Implementing universal design guidelines (especially universal mobility standards) in the centers of historic Indian cities is comparatively challenging, due to the high-density, ever-increasing population, and organic urban development. The rising number of elderly and specially abled people also add a demographic challenge to universal mobility. The focus of this research is to understand the extent to which universal mobility guidelines can be implemented in the centers of historic Indian cities. The dataset for this research is derived from a field survey of 69 footpath stretches from the centers of 5 historic cities in India, namely Jaipur, Jodhpur, Nagpur, Hyderabad, and Chennai. Footpath stretches in the centers of these historic cities were evaluated based on several factors pertaining to universally designed infrastructure and universal mobility features. Such comprehensive research on universal mobility in footpaths of historic Indian cities has not been previously conducted. The findings of this research indicate the poor condition of universal mobility in the studied areas. Furthermore, the results can be useful for assessing the extent of implementation of universal mobility in the centers of other historic Indian cities.