Is Mobility only about Getting from One Place to Another — or is it Fundamentally about Access to Opportunities, Relationships, Public Life itself?… | Pavithra Sriram & Archanaa Seker

In this episode, we unpack the idea of “inclusive mobility”—a term that is often used in urban planning but rarely explored. Beyond transport systems and infrastructure, inclusive mobility is about dignity, independence, safety, and the freedom to participate fully in city life.

Through this conversation, we examine the hidden assumptions that shape our cities:

“Whose needs become the standard, and whose are treated as exceptions?”

From people with disabilities encountering inaccessible infrastructure to informal workers, children, and those experiencing homelessness, mobility is never experienced in the same way by everyone. The discussion also turns towards the Indian street itself—a space that refuses to fit neatly into planning diagrams. Streets are not merely transport corridors; they are workplaces, marketplaces, meeting places, playgrounds, and spaces of care. What happens when planning acknowledges these overlapping realities?

Rather than presenting accessibility as a checklist of technical interventions, the discussion also invites listeners to think of mobility as a shared civic responsibility—one that requires empathy, participation, and a willingness to rethink whose voices shape our cities.

If you’ve ever wondered why cities function the way they do or how everyday stories can reveal larger urban challenges, this is where the conversation begins.

Welcome to The Nagari Podcast!