Step Forward:
People First Delhi
Location
New Delhi, India
Year
2024-2025
Category
Public Realm Development (Research - Design)
Project Type
Academics,
Urbanism Thesis
Project Classification
Research + Design
Guide
Mason White
New Delhi
Population: 34.6 Million
Climate: Sub-Tropical
Let’s understand Delhi’s Pollution
Dust makes up 20–50% of Delhi's PMâ‚‚.â‚…, with residential burning at 10–30%, vehicles, industries, and dust storms each at 10–20%, and power plants, farm fires, and fireworks contributing 5–10% each.
Early White Paper estimates and later CPCB models both confirm these shares.
Since when has it been happening in Delhi?
Challenges: Severe air pollution (PM2.5 > 15xWHO limit), heavy traffic (10Mvehicles), water scarcity (380Mgallon deficit)
Health: 30% rise in respiratory illnesses, 22% of adults overweight
Timeline of Breathability in New Delhi
Delhi's Pollution Timeline
This timeline maps Delhi’s ongoing battle with air pollution, tracing key shifts from unchecked industrial growth and rising vehicle use to policy responses like CNG adoption, GRAP, and Odd-Even. Despite repeated interventions, PM2.5 levels remain dangerously high, especially in winter, showing how reactive measures alone can’t solve a structural urban issue. It underscores the need for deeper, design-led change in how we move, build, and breathe in the city.
Current talk in Delhi on Pedestrianization
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What’s the urgency?
Delhi’s vigorous pedestrianization tackles unhealthy and invisible urbanism marked by traffic chaos, high fatality rates, andpoor air quality by reclaiming public spaces for a healthier, more inclusive city.
Reclaiming Public Space
Urban Mobility & Congestion
Pedestrian Safety
Air Pollution
Challenges Delhi faces about Pedestrianization
1.
Entrenched Vehicular Dominance
Delhi’s car-centric road design makes it challenging to establish exclusive pedestrian spaces
2.
Encroachment and Infrastructure Gaps
Street vendors and poor sidewalk maintenance frequently obstruct designated pedestrian areas.
3.
Enforcement and Compliance Issues
Inconsistent enforcement and weak penalties allow unauthorized vehicle use in pedestrian zones
4.
Lack of integration with Public Transit and Urban Design
Fragmented urban planning and inadequate last-mile connectivity hinder seamless pedestrian transit.
Polluted – Transit Zones of Delhi
This map reveals a striking overlap between mobility and pollution—Delhi’s transit hubs, meant to move people efficiently, are also breathing hotspots of poor air quality. The glowing red halos mark where metro lines meet smog, urging us to rethink these spaces not just as points of transfer, but as opportunities for transformation. As urban designers, it’s a call to infuse these nodes with cleaner air, greener edges, and people-first design that turns congestion into care.
Legends
Metro Line
Transit Switching Point
Poor AQI Area
N
Polluted + Poor Infrastructure Intersection Diagram
A Vision for New Delhi: Streets for People, Air You Can Breathe
This action plan reimagines New Delhi as a city built around people—not cars. By prioritizing pedestrian-friendly streets and creating inviting public spaces or “urban rooms,” it aims to bring everyday life back to the city’s core.
Together, these shifts lay the foundation for a healthier, more walkable, and livable New Delhi.
The Action Plan
This action plan for Delhi focuses on transforming the city into a more pedestrian-friendly, livable environment. It begins by reducing car dependency and reimagining the public realm. The strategy emphasizes:
​​Together, these actions work toward the creation of Urban Rooms—welcoming, walkable public spaces that foster social interaction, promote sustainable mobility, and make Delhi a healthier, more inclusive city.
The Plantation Action Plan (PAP)
Kosam -Schleichera Oleosa
Amaltas -Cassia Fistula
Bistendu -Diospyros Cordifolia
Desi Babool - Acacia Nilotica
Mangifera indica -Mango Tree
1 year
Longer to grow
50 years
Interestingly, trees like mango, shisham and amaltas, which are popular across North India, were overlooked possibly because Delhi’s native trees are deciduous, which shed and look bare during the dry season. Regardless, some indigenous tree species were likely added later.
Scenarios in New Delhi
This map highlights two high-pollution zones in Delhi—Connaught Place & Anand Vihar, where industrial fumes, crop burning, and heavy traffic converge. As urban designers, it urges us to rethink transit hubs and public realms through cleaner mobility, green buffers, and resilient spatial planning.
N
AQI -Air Quality Index
​PM2.5 - 2.5 micrometres Particulate Matter
PM10 - 10 micrometres Particulate Matter
O3 - Ozone
NO2 –Nitrogen Dioxide
Study Focus Area
Study Area
Pollution Spread
Sites Periphery Diagram
Connaught Place
Category - I
+ Transit Switching Points
- Colonial
- Formal
- Horizontal
- Commercial
Anand Vihar
Category - II
+ Transit Switching Points
- Organic
- Informal
- Vertical
- Transit
Addressing site with variability
Site #1 : Connaught Place
Things that don't work
Things that work
Encroached streets
Parking Encroachment
Shared Street
No space for pedestrians
Earlier, the Inner Circle garden was a roundabout in the middle, but as time evolved, it turned into a park and road around it.
Rich Street Life
Presence of Green Realm
Social Anchors
Commercial Exposure
Connaught Place – Existing Activities
This map shows how different parts of Connaught Place are used today, like retail shops, cafés, services, and merchandise outlets.
While some stretches are active and lively, especially around food and retail clusters, others feel underused or disconnected. The mix is there, but it’s uneven, and some edges spill life onto the street, while others pull away from it.
This sets up a simple goal: strengthen what’s working, and rework the gaps so the entire circle feels connected and walkable.
Legends
Retail
Food/ Beverage
Merchandise
Services
N
Retail –Merchandise Outlets
Outdoor Café/ Restaurant
Services
Existing Programming Diagram
Phase 1: Relocate Cars & Redefine the Movement
This first step tackles the biggest barrier to a pedestrian-friendly Connaught Place—traffic. The plan shifts vehicular circulation to the outer edges and reduces through-traffic in the inner circle. Key entry points are redefined, and unnecessary car access is minimized to calm the streets. This creates space to prioritize walking, cycling, and last-mile connectivity while preserving access for emergency and service vehicles. It’s not about banning cars entirely—it’s about giving the street back to people.
Phase 2: Enhance & Improve Green Realm & Public Realm
​
With traffic streamlined, this phase focuses on making the heart of Connaught Place greener, softer, and more usable. Green corridors are strengthened, underused lawns are reactivated, and the tree canopy is expanded for shade and comfort. Streetscapes are redesigned with better paving, lighting, signage, and seating. Stormwater-sensitive landscaping and native plants add ecological value. The goal is to make every corner of the public realm inviting—where people can walk, linger, or simply enjoy the environment.
Phase 3: Creation of Urban Rooms
Now the plan starts adding texture and meaning to the public space. “Urban rooms” are carved out—small plazas, shaded seating areas, cultural corners, and interactive spaces that feel intimate and human-scaled. These spaces give identity and purpose to different parts of the circle, encouraging people to not just move through, but to stop, connect, and participate in the life of the city. Think food carts, pop-ups, exhibitions, street performers—designed pockets where daily life unfolds.
Final Phase: Redefined & Improved Connaught Place
The final phase ties it all together—a Connaught Place that functions better, feels better, and serves its people more fully. With movement restructured, greenery layered in, and public spaces activated, the area transforms into a lively urban core that balances heritage with modern urban needs. Pedestrian networks flow seamlessly, the green spine breathes new life into the city, and civic vibrancy is restored. It’s a respectful reimagining of Delhi’s iconic center—timeless, but made for today.
A3
A1
A2
A1. A view of the food court, the artist's walkthrough
A welcoming green corridor with sculptural benches, a leafy canopy, and vibrant pop‑up stalls transforms Connaught Place into a dynamic pedestrian oasis.
A2. View across the Palika Bazaar, where the south-west pedestrian bridge connects.
From a sloping grassy terrace, you see Palika Bazaar and the southwest pedestrian bridge, with winding lawns, benches, trees, and pop‑up stalls in front of Connaught Place’s historic buildings
A3. A view from the North-East Edge of the site connected by the second pedestrian bridge
Curvy paths cross a grassy lawn in Connaught Place, with pop-up stalls, planter sculptures, and trees guiding people of all ages to gathering spots.
Exploded Phasing Diagram
The master plan redefines Connaught Place as a pedestrian-led public realm. Vehicular movement is redirected to the periphery, making space for shaded walkways, green pockets, and cultural nodes within the central park. Edges are lined with retail, art, and gathering zones—stitching together heritage, mobility, and daily urban life into one connected landscape.
Legend
Commercial Drop Zone
Existing Built Form
Transit Points
Transit Connection
Retail - Existing
Primary Green Realm
Secondary Green Realm
Waterbody
Porous Pavement
Retail - New
Seating
Performance Spaces
Pavement
Sand Grading
Car Movement
Commercial Movement
N
A3
A2
A1
Connaught Place Master Plan
Designed Section
This section illustrates the layered experience from the street edge to the inner park. A pedestrian bridge hovers above drop-off lanes, leading into a series of transit entries framed by trees and public seating. Art walls and small retail units activate the edge, creating an interface that’s not just about movement, but about pause, engagement, and urban comfort.
Site #2 : Anand Vihar
Anand Vihar is one of Delhi’s busiest intermodal nodes—connecting metro, railway, ISBT, autos, and informal vendors in a chaotic tangle. While it plays a vital role in regional mobility, the site suffers from poor pedestrian access, unclear wayfinding, and underutilized public space. The following images capture its current realities and spatial pressures.
Auto Depot Congestion
Roof view of Bus Bays + ISBT Bus Entry
Informal market under Metro Viaduct
Entry to station + Metro Complex
This analytical map highlights key pedestrian paths (blue), vehicular conflict zones (red), and areas of intervention. It identifies the disconnect between modes, lack of clear signage, and missed potential along the waterbody and market edges.
N
ISBT Chaos
Overflow traffic & Drop-off Chaos
Lack of Anchors on the pedestrian bridge
Entry to station complex
Flow & Conflict Map
Phase 1:
Uplifting & Improving Pedestrian Movement
​
The first step focuses on people: reworking walkways, crossings, and connections to make moving through the area easier and safer for pedestrians. Think shaded paths, clear signage, and accessible routes that guide people smoothly from transit to street level.
Phase 2:
Establishing Commercial Anchor & Public Realm
This phase introduces active edges—cafés, retail, and small shops—along key routes. These commercial anchors activate the ground plane and draw people in, while public plazas and waiting areas start to take shape as places to pause, gather, or transition.
Phase 3:
Improving Car Movement
(Personal + Commercial)
With pedestrians taken care of, the focus shifts to rationalising vehicle flow. Clear lanes for cars, buses, and goods movement reduce congestion and chaos. Service access is streamlined without overpowering the pedestrian-first environment.
Phase 4:
Enhancing Green Realm
​​
Parks, buffers, and tree-lined streets are introduced or revitalised. Native planting, bioswales, and shaded gathering areas make the precinct feel cooler, more breathable, and ecologically sound. Greenery becomes a thread that ties the whole area together.
Final Result:
A Redefined & Navigable Anand Vihar
​
All the pieces come together—walkability, transit connections, commercial life, and green space—to create a more legible, user-friendly Anand Vihar. It’s no longer just a transit hub, but a welcoming urban precinct that works for everyone who moves through it.
Exploded Phasing Diagram
B3
B2
B1
B1. View of the newly redesigned Urban Bridge
​
An elevated pedestrian promenade with integrated seating‑planter pockets beneath a slatted pergola, offering shade, clear wayfinding, and social pause points en route to the metro.
B2. A view under the Urban Bridge of the bazaar/ marketplace
​
A dynamic under‑bridge bazaar at Anand Vihar ISBT, where 2.5 × 2.5 m modular stalls line 1.5 m‑wide shaded pathways between 8 m‑spaced viaduct columns, transforming residual infrastructure into a bustling pedestrian marketplace.
B3. View of the Car-Taxi Drop-off and
Pick-up islands
​
Under the bridge, there is a covered drop-off area with side-by-side taxi and car bays, as well as benches for waiting.
This plan reimagines Anand Vihar as a layered transit precinct that balances movement, ecology, and informal urban life. Pedestrian routes are clarified, bus and auto flows are separated, and new shaded walkways link the metro, railway station, and public spaces.
Green corridors run alongside water bodies, integrating stormwater channels into the site’s landscape strategy. Street-edge bazaars and informal stalls are woven into the plan—acknowledging how the city already works, while improving legibility and comfort.
Legend
Commercial Drop Zone
Existing Built Form
Transit Points
Transit Connection
Retail - Existing
Primary Green Realm
Secondary Green Realm
Waterbody
Porous Pavement
Retail - New
Seating
Performance Spaces
Pavement
Sand Grading
Car Movement
Commercial Movement
N
B3
B2
B1
Anand Vihar Master Plan
Designed Section
This sectional cut captures the full cross-section, from highway to public edge. It moves through informal markets nestled under metro viaducts, across tree-lined seating zones, and into shaded green spaces that run alongside the nala. Transit drop-offs, signage points, and retail pods are carefully placed to make movement intuitive. The section celebrates contrast: fast-moving infrastructure above, slow-paced public life below.
Addressing variability with Toolkit
Category - I
Formal + Colonial + Commercial
Series of Small Intervention
such as improved signage, lighting, active edges, and shaded pedestrian loops.
Typologies
These are colonially planned and commercially active zones, like Connaught Place. Their structure is intact but aged, meaning interventions should be small, strategic, and layered. The focus here is on upgrading the public realm without disrupting the heritage or formal grid.
Category - II
Informal + Organic + Transit
Series of Big Intervention
including redesigned transit interfaces, consolidated pedestrian routes, and integrated green corridors
Areas like Anand Vihar fall under this type, which is chaotic but deeply embedded in daily movement. They evolve without clear planning, blending transit, markets, and improvised structures. These demand bolder, system-level interventions to reorganise flow and reclaim usable space.
Toolkit with Variable Elements
Food Court
A shaded eatery zone designed for casual gatherings, with modular seating integrated into a soft landscape. Its open frontage and tree canopy create a welcoming pause space along the public promenade.
Bridge
An elevated pedestrian link improves walkability across barriers, with ramps ensuring universal access. The bridge doubles as a scenic pause point, drawing foot traffic through layered connectivity.
Art Walk-in
A curated path winds through a gallery of outdoor art frames, turning walking into an immersive experience. Flanked by trees and pavilions, it blends play, culture, and creative interaction.
Urban Performance Area
An amphitheatre-style public zone that blends seating and stage, inviting spontaneous performance and leisure. It encourages informal gatherings, cultural events, and everyday relaxation under a canopy of trees.
Retail Island
A compact retail kiosk nestled within green trails, activating park edges without overwhelming nature. It supports local vendors and encourages slow movement through the landscape.
Urban Green Spoke
A meandering path weaves through shaded greens and playful street furniture, inviting passive recreation. Water features and seating nodes enhance ecological cooling and social comfort along the way.
Urban Bazaar
A green spine integrates informal vending and shaded walkways to support local commerce. It invites community life to unfold in a walkable, human-scaled setting.
Urban Bridge
A pedestrian bridge becomes a playful public space with seating, water features, and greenery. It shifts from being just a connector to a vibrant urban experience.
Urban Pause Points
Shaded kiosks, picnic tables, and trees create a cozy spot for people to rest, chat, or grab a bite. It blends leisure and light activity, turning everyday paths into meaningful pause moments.
Waiting Area - A
Intersecting paths, benches, and trees shape a relaxed waiting zone for everyday use. Soft landscaping and varied seating make it feel open, inclusive, and comfortable.
Waiting Area - B
This slender green strip offers a calm place to sit, wait, or stroll through leafy surroundings. Simple elements activate the edge while maintaining openness and flow.
Similar Elements
Modular Urban Seating
This series of modular urban seating designs integrates planters, shade, and flexible sitting surfaces to enrich the public realm. With clean forms and warm materials, they invite people of all ages to pause, relax, or interact—whether alone or in groups. Strategically placed near greenery or signage, these elements enhance walkability, comfort, and sociability in compact urban settings.
Category - I
Formal + Colonial + Commercial
Places like these fall under this type. These are historically structured zones with defined grids and commercial edges. Their urban bones are intact but underperforming.
1.1. Gole Market
1.2. Karol Bagh
1.3. Mandi House
1.4. Khan Market
Categorized Pedestrianization Areas
The red heat map overlays areas with poor air quality, while white circles mark transit switching points. These overlap with many of the pedestrianization hotspots, reinforcing the urgency of walkable, breathable, and accessible urban public space.
Legends
Metro Line
Transit Switching Point
Poor AQI Area
Category - I
Category - II
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
1.3
1.2
1.1
1.4
N
This framework ties environmental urgency, urban form, and mobility into one readable map—setting the ground for site-specific strategies that are both practical and place-aware.
Category - II
Informal + Organic + Transit
Sites like these are much messier, but more alive. These are everyday urban nodes built around transit, informal economies, and organic growth.
2.1. Kashmere Gate
2.2. Sarai Kale Khan
2.3. Lajpat Nagar Central Market
2.4. Nehru Place