Most thousand-mile journeys start out with a single step, but ours started with a pedal—that of a cycle rickshaw in the winding alleys of Agra. This journey has now spread across India—creating Better Streets, Better Cities, Better Lives. With immense joy and pride, we wish to announce that the ITDP India Programme completes 20 years of action this year—of bringing people together to achieve tangible transformation at scale!

First and foremost, our job has been to INSPIRE, especially urban leaders, to take action. But inspiration alone isn’t enough. We have consistently brought cutting-edge global knowledge to help CREATE best practices in the local context. To turn these into the norm, we have worked to EMBED these models of excellence into government-endorsed standards and processes. Finally, to EXPAND the impact, we have developed and continue to do so the ability of public officials and practitioners to plan, implement, and manage urban mobility systems that ensure sustainability, safety, and equity.

Through this series of e-newsletters, we propose to bring you stories and insights from cities, Indian as well as from the world over. In this edition, learn about how Pune has parked its parking policy in the right place; about Ranchi’s ride to a citywide public cycle sharing system; and Tamil Nadu’s ambitious plans of a complete overhaul of the streets of its top 10 cities—putting people, not cars, at centrestage.

We have been by the side of all these cities at each step of the way, helping them not miss the bus when it comes to creating cities for people. Also, take a look at our new publication Footpath Fix that is based on our work with Indian cities, their challenges, and their solutions. We hope that you will find these stories useful to inform your work. We also invite you to speak to us and partner with us to transform the cities of India.