Welcome to The Good City podcast series, where we bring together designers, planners, engineers, environmental thinkers, academics, and community voices to explore how design can help cities tackle their biggest challenges and create better places for people and the planet. In our third episode, Delhi - Rewriting the Code, we turn to one of the world’s fastest‑urbanising nations. India is already 40% urban, and by 2050 will welcome 400 million new city residents - an entire new urban India built in a single generation. But cities across India are being shaped by outdated volumetric planning codes that prioritise floor area, setbacks, and parking over walkability, climate resilience, and public life. As Manisha Bhartia notes, “good urban design is being thwarted by the planning system itself.” Joined by the authors of The Good City – Delhi paper, we explore how form‑based planning could rewrite the rules - shifting the focus from mathematical envelopes to the physical form of streets, blocks, and public spaces. From the vibrant lanes of Old Delhi to the gated compounds of Gurgaon, our panel unpacks how India’s historic urbanism offers timeless lessons, and how modern codes can once again build cities with a beating heart. Panellists Michelle Xuereb (Host), Director of Innovation, BDP Quadrangle Kanak Tiwari, Urban Expert and Team Lead – Vision for the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Nilesh Prakash Rajadhyaksha, Urban Policy Specialist Manisha Bhartia, Urbanism Director & Head of India Studios, BDP Radhika Mathur, Associate Director & Head of Urban Design, BDP This podcast forms part of The Good City, a global initiative by BDP and Nippon Koei to help cities across the world become better. Find out more: https://www.bdp.com/in-depth/the-good-city
