ITDP India

Promoting sustainable and equitable transportation worldwide

Khader Nawaz Khan Road Discovery Trails

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Want to discover the newest features of Chennai’s Pedestrian-First High Street? Choose between a self-guided audio tour and a virtual tour, led by our tour guide Varsha!

To experience KNK street from the comfort of your home:

Head to Our Virtual Tour on Youtube

 

To begin the self-guided audio tour, head to the first stop on Khader Nawaz Khan Road. Once you’ve arrived, scroll down and press play on the first audio.

If you have lost your way,
or don’t have a clue,
the route map above will be there to guide you!

Happy listening!

Stop 1 / Welcome to Khader Nawaz Khan Pedestrian First High Street
Find Stop 1 on the map.


Stop 2 / KNK: A Complete Street
Find Stop 2 on the map.


Stop 3 / Essential services are now efficient services.
Find Stop 3 on the map.


Stop 4 / A place to gather
Find Stop 4 on the map.


Stop 5 / Hidden details
Find Stop 5 on the map.


Stop 6 / End and Walk Back
Find Stop 6 on the map.

Created by Tejesvini Ravi, Associate, and Donita Jose, Senior Associate, ITDP India.
Voiceover by Varsha Jeyapandi, Senior Associate, ITDP India.
Technical inputs by Shivani Balasubramanian, Associate, ITDP India.
Conceptualised by Donita Jose, Tejesvini Ravi and Varsha Jeyapandi.
Video footage shot by Ally Production.

In collaboration with Greater Chennai Corporation.

Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad Perception Study on Air Pollution and Low Emission Zone Strategies

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At Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, air pollution caused by road transport is a serious public health concern. To combat this, we need Low Emission Zones (LEZ), a strategy in which polluting vehicles are discouraged through vehicle restrictions and pricing measures. But how would the people of these cities respond to this strategy?

To understand how citizens would adapt to LEZ measures, we conducted a one-of-a-kind perception study across 20 neighbourhoods in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. The views of 2,000 owners of personal vehicles (two-wheelers and four-wheelers) were recorded, capturing the following insights:

  1. Citizens’ change in travel behaviour in case of a ban on high polluting vehicle 
  2. Citizens change in travel behaviour if the high polluting vehicles could be still allowed by paying a daily pollution cess, instead of banning.

To know more, read the full document here

Safe Routes to School: Visual Guides

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Interesting in advocating for safer school zones in your neighbourhood? We have resources tailored for everyone—from students to professional planners—to help you get started.

A visual guide for all ages

Looking for a simple way  to highlight the safe elements of school streets? Our Child-Friendly Poster makes the concepts clear and colourful.

Quick reference for professionals.
Need a concise, attractive overview of what makes a school zone truly safe? Download our Nifty Printable Poster for your reference.

Reimagining Chennai’s Mobility For The Next 25 Years

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A visual comic that breaks down Chennai’s Comprehensive Mobility Plan, tracing how the city’s transport vision will shape movement, streets, and everyday journeys over the next 25 years.

This resource is available to read in both English and Tamil—click to explore.

Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Chennai Metropolitan Area

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This study report serves as the executive summary of the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) for the Chennai Metropolitan Area. The CMP is a long-term strategic vision that integrates land use and urban transport planning to guide mobility in the CMA over the next 25 years.

Read the full publication here.

Situational Analysis of Chennai Streets

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This study report assesses the current situation of pedestrian infrastructure in Chennai. Taking the case of 14 streets in different parts of the city, the report seeks to create awareness and a dialogue surrounding successes and gaps in the infrastructure, prompting the identification of future areas of intervention.

Read the full publication here.

Status Report on Public Charging of Electric Vehicles in Tamil Nadu

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The report, jointly prepared by Guidance Tamil Nadu and ITDP India, provides a comprehensive assessment of the current status of public electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in Tamil Nadu. It examines existing policy frameworks, market dynamics, and stakeholder perspectives to identify key challenges hindering growth. The analysis underscores the urgent need to scale up charging infrastructure to match the state’s EV adoption goals. Drawing on best practices from other states, the report outlines actionable recommendations to strengthen planning, investment, and implementation mechanisms.

Click here to download the full report.

 

 

 

Footpath Fix

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The Footpath Fix is a step-by-step guide on footpath construction detailing for urban designers, municipal engineers, and contractors. Cities across India now acknowledge that walking plays a fundamental role in everyday life. Thereupon, good quality footpaths must be provided to make walking safe and attractive.

Basic footpath design standards such as the optimal height, adequate width, continuous and obstacle-free surface are detailed in the first volume of the Footpath Series – Footpath Design.

Attention to construction details, especially that of different utilities is articulated in this second volume – Footpath Fix. Several footpath projects have failed due to improper construction and execution; thus, this guide aims to highlight the steps, in a chronological order, from pre-excavation to above-ground construction.  It also features necessary precautions, drawing from experience on-ground, that must be taken into consideration at each stage of construction.

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Chennai Non-Motorised Transport Policy

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The Chennai Corporation’s Council adopted a progressive non-motorised policy in October 2014 to make walking and cycling its priority. The policy aims to arrest the current decline in walking and cycling in the city by creating safe and pleasant network of footpaths, cycle tracks, greenways and other NMT facilities. Walking and cycling infrastructure—that until recently was at best an afterthought—will now take centrestage. The policy mandates that a minimum of 60 percent of the Corporation’s transport budget is allocated to construct and maintain NMT infrastructure—a clear demonstration of the Corporation’s commitment to creating safe streets that consider the needs of all users.

The city has set for itself ambitious goals: by 2018, build safe and continuous footpaths on at least 80% of all streets, increase the share of walking and cycling trips to over 40%, and, most significantly, eliminate pedestrian and cyclist deaths. The Corporation aims to achieve these goals by mandating various measures through this policy.

Download the policy here.

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BRT in Chennai – Towards a new paradigm in urban mobility

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Chennai is a city at the cross roads between history & development, with the potential to develop into a global & cultural center that provides improved quality of life to its people. This improved quality of life can be provided through high quality transit systems that not only provide connectivity, but also ensure safety, comfort, increased mobility, brand appeal and civic pride.

Through a review of existing conditions in Chennai, the options available for mass transit systems and their performances around the world and focusing on the role of buses in public transport, this report establishes the need for a proven and easy-to-implement solution in the form of a BRT. Outlined are the key features of the BRT, analysis of existing MTC services and other mass transit facilities for phasing of corridors in Chennai.

Also identified are the steps towards implementing the BRT in Chennai including the components of a special purpose vehicle, role of private sector, funding sources and the steps towards developing a detailed project report, all of which, if implemented, could transform Chennai into a city that provides high quality transport options for both the rich & the poor.

Download the report 

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