Step out on any morning in an Indian city, and you will find women contributing significantly to the vibrancy of urban life: walking children to school, waiting at bus stops, navigating crowded markets, heading to work, stitching together livelihoods and families across multiple trips and responsibilities. Urban India is home to about 181.6 million women, nearly 48% of its population. Yet, women hardly have a voice in how cities are planned, designed, and governed. Globally, there is growing recognition that women-centric urban planning and governance work better for everyone. A 2021 study by UN-Habitat found, for instance, that gender-inclusive planning…
Read moreArticles by VR Vachana
Vachana is a public policy professional committed to transforming how India’s cities are governed. She is currently an Associate Director - Policy at Jana Urban Space and Janaagraha. Her work spans urban policy research, thought leadership, and systemic policy engagements.
She headed the Municipal Law and Policy Program at Janaagraha, where she anchored the Annual Survey of India’s City-Systems (ASICS) report. She has led collaborations with the Comptroller and Auditor General of India and the Principal Accountant General – Karnataka and engaged in projects with the the XV Finance Commission, NITI Aayog, the Chief Economic Advisor’s office.