The Human City

Ruchita Bansal
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Cities often fail people not by accident, but by design. The Human City explores how governance, finance, mobility, and urban design shape our everyday lives — and what happens when we start designing cities for everyone, not just the powerful few. Hosted by Ruchita Bansal, an urban planner with 15+ years of experience leading city transformations in India, this podcast brings global voices and honest conversations on how to make cities safer, inclusive, and truly human.

  1. Oct 6

    Why Smart Cities, EVs & Apps Can't Fix India's Cities ft. David Zipper - HC E-46

    Join us for the first Human City Conversation with an audience. Guest is Mr Jagan Shah, Urbanist and Policy Expert. The First Session will explore on "How to make Delhi a Human City". Limited Tickets. Book here: https://urbanaut.app/spot/can-we-make...Apps, smart cities, electric cars, driverless taxis. Cities keep buying new technology, so why can't you still walk safely outside your own house? In this Episode, Ruchita Bansal sits down with David Zipper, Senior Fellow at the MIT Mobility Initiative, who has seen it from inside city hall and the startup world. His answer: technology is often a shortcut that lets leaders skip the hard decisions. In today's episode: → Why cities buy apps, not footpaths → How Uber broke the rules and won → Do electric cars fix anything? → Will driverless cars fix traffic? → The "be the first" trap Follow David:   / david-zipper-6833006  #DavidZipper #UrbanPlanning #SmartCities #ElectricCars #Cities00:00 Intro01:59 Does Technology Really Help in Urban Solutions?05:00 Why Dutch & Japanese Cities Don't Depend Only on Technology07:02 Technology Cannot Be a Solution to Bad Transport Choices07:50 The Most Expensive Urban Technology Flops09:26 The Myth of Smart Cities10:56 Technology: Start With the Problem, Not the Gadget12:47 How Uber Took Over DC Without Permission16:47 Lessons From Uber's Strategy18:20 Why Everyone Should Try an E-Bike?20:00 Do Electric Cars Actually Solve Anything? His One-Word Answer22:29 How Brussels Took Its Streets Back From Cars25:28 The City That Said No to Flyovers and Highways27:18 Making Cars Pay to Enter the City: The New York Story29:40 Can Bangalore Implement Congestion Pricing Without Good Buses?30:37 Singapore Model of Congestion Pricing32:04 Will Driverless Cars Fix Traffic?32:53 Robotaxis: Removing Human Connection34:49 The One Question to Ask Before Any New TechnologyConnect with us here: Follow us on Linkedin: / ruchita-bansal-8396a28 Instagram handle: / ruchi591980. .Who should be our next guest? Write to us at ruchitabansal.shecity@gmail.com -------------------------Disclaimer: The views shared in this conversation are those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Human City Podcast or its host. This content is for informational and educational purposes only.-------------------------Subscribe & Follow If you enjoy conversations on cities, gender, and urban change, hit Subscribe and turn on notifications.Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1syIPWE...

    Why Smart Cities, EVs & Apps Can't Fix India's Cities ft. David Zipper - HC E-46

  2. Sep 23

    The Dutch Have More Cars Than India & Zero Traffic Problems | Chris Bruntlett | EP45 The Human City Podcast

    Chris Bruntlett, International Relations Manager at the  @cycling_embassy  , unpacks why India's traffic crisis has nothing to do with how many cars it owns.  @modacitylife  He explains: ◼ Why only 8% of Indian households own a car, yet Indian cities sit in worse traffic than the Netherlands, where 74% do ◼ The "bucket and spoon" problem — why cities keep building more road capacity while ignoring the leak that's actually causing congestion ◼ Why treating children like packages to be dropped off, not people who move through a city, quietly wrecked how we design streets ◼ What a retiree in Shanghai taught him about designing cities for people who aren't in a hurry ◼ How Dutch cities went from car-choked in the 1970s to the most cycling-friendly in the world and what of that playbook actually transfers to India. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:36 Indian Street vs Dutch Street: How does it actually look like? 03:42 What Does a Good Street Actually Sound Like? 04:29 India vs Dutch Vehicle Ownership Dilemma 06:25 Dutch Households Own 74% Cars and Still Choose Bicycles 07:00 Is a Metro Useless If You Can't Walk to It? 09:01 Indian Metro is Missing Half Its Riders? 11:02 Mindset of Indian Policymakers on Mobility 14:13 Is Heat a Real Barrier in Promotion of Cycling or an Excuse? 18:31 Why Do We Build Cycle Tracks and Then Remove Them? 19:50 Advice for Indian Decision Makers 22:35 Why Do India's Pilot Projects Never Last? 23:52 A Badly Designed City Turns Parents Into Full-Time Drivers 26:15 Is It Really Screens Keeping Kids Indoors? 28:44 Good Streets Let You Grow Old Without Losing Your Freedom 32:26 Is the Car Really the Villain? 36:24 How Did the Netherlands Fight Back? 38:11 What Does Netherlands Still Get Wrong? 39:23 Netherlands has 74% Car Ownership: Is It Really a Model City? 40:57 Who is Chris Bruntlett? 43:23 Is Netherlands selling us the Wrong Dream? 48:12 What Can Netherlands Learn From India? 50:21 Outro Follow Chris Bruntlett here: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cbruntlett/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modacitylife/?hl=en About Ruchita Bansal: The Human City Podcast is hosted by Ruchita Bansal, an accomplished urban planner and project management professional with 15+ years of experience. She has led multi-billion-dollar development projects and sustainable mobility programs across India, including her leadership role at the Ayodhya Development Authority. Ruchita is also the founder of SheCity India, a platform for gender-inclusive urban planning, storytelling, and data-driven advocacy. -------------------------- About Human City Podcast: This podcast brings together global voices and local insights to explore how cities can be made more inclusive, sustainable, and human-centered. Each episode uncovers what it takes to design cities that truly work for people.“The Human City Podcast is an initiative of SheCity India — building gender-inclusive, human-centered cities.” Connect with us here: Follow us on Linkedin: / ruchita-bansal-8396a28 Instagram handle: / ruchi591980. Who should be our next guest? Write to us at ruchitabansal.shecity@gmail.com ------------------------- Disclaimer: The views shared in this conversation are those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Human City Podcast or its host. This content is for informational and educational purposes only. ------------------------- Subscribe & Follow If you enjoy conversations on cities, gender, and urban change, hit Subscribe and turn on notifications. Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1syIPWE...

    The Dutch Have More Cars Than India & Zero Traffic Problems | Chris Bruntlett | EP45 The Human City Podcast

  3. Sep 8

    Why India Needs a Better Healthcare System? HC E44| Harvard Health Economist Explains

    About the Episode: Why does where we live affect how healthy we are? And can a city actually make us healthier?In this episode of The Human City Podcast, I speak with David Cutler, Harvard health economist and Otto Eckstein Professor of Applied Economics, about one of the biggest questions in modern health: how much control do we really have over our own health?We often think of health as a matter of personal choices — what we eat, whether we exercise, whether we smoke, and whether we go to the doctor. But David explains why our cities, neighbourhoods, education, income, housing, public health systems and government policies can profoundly shape those choices and our health outcomes.Chapters: 00:00 Intro: Can we make Our Cities Healthier?00:54 Can We Control Our Health?01:46 Why Do Our Health Choices Change?03:04 Does Your Neighborhood Affect Your Health?04:59 Can Cities Make Us Sick?06:44 What Makes a City Healthy?07:47 Why Do We Need Cities?09:23 Is Density Really the Problem during Pandemic?10:40 Can Doctors Really Fix our Health?11:39 Why Is Prevention So Important?12:17 Government is Responsible to Make Us Healthier13:27 Does Education Make Us Healthier?15:41 What Does This Mean for India?16:36 Can India Handle the Next Epidemic?17:33 Why Is Healthcare Privatised?19:18 Why Healthcare is Expensive in the US?20:41 Who Is Responsible for Our Health?21:12 Collective Responsibility in Public Health22:04 Global Threats: Pandemics, Climate Change, and Nuclear War23:12 David's thoughts on his Health Behaviour24:24 Systems vs individuals24:46 Davis's thoughts on Keeping Healthy25:21 Redesigning the Public Healthcare System26:59 What should cities actually do?27:50 What can an individual do to Improve their Health?28:25 Outro: You are as Healthy as the Healthy Parts of your CitiesAbout David Cutler:David Cutler is the Otto Eckstein Professor of Applied Economics at Harvard University and a leading health economist whose research focuses on health, healthcare policy and public policy. He has also held appointments at Harvard’s Kennedy School and School of Public Health.Cutler has spent decades studying some of the biggest questions around healthcare — why some populations are healthier than others, how much healthcare should cost, how public policy affects health, and why prevention often matters as much as treatment. His work has also taken him into government, including roles with the Council of Economic Advisers and the National Economic Council.He is the author of three books, including Your Money or Your Life and The Quality Cure, and co-authored Survival of the City with Harvard economist Edward Glaeser, examining how cities can adapt to pandemics and other threats.

    Why India Needs a Better Healthcare System? HC E44| Harvard Health Economist Explains

  4. Aug 25

    Who Is Planning Indian Cities? HC E43| with Prof. Saswat Bandopadhyay | Ruchita Bansal

    Who is actually planning Indian cities? And if we have thousands of trained urban planners, why do our cities continue to struggle with flooding, congestion, pollution and inadequate public infrastructure?In this episode of The Human City, I speak with Prof. Saswat Bandopadhyay about a question that sits at the heart of India's urban future: Are we planning our cities for the realities they face today?We discuss what’s holding Indian urban planning back—from outdated planning education and static master plans to weak professional institutions, limited data, and the gap between plans and people’s lived experiences.We also explore what India can learn from places like Singapore, why “all maps are not plans,” and what needs to change if our cities are to cope with the scale of urbanisation ahead.Chapters: 00:00 The Role of Urban Planners01:20 Challenges in Urban Planning in India01:34 Why are Indian cities struggling?02:11 Are Planners Trained for Today's Cities?04:37 Are Planners Taught more Theory?06:37 Why we're using outdated planning systems?08:24 Are we producing the planners India needs?10:50 What needs to change?12:54 Why don't planning schools change their Curriculam?14:49 Where is the people's Experience in planning?16:11 What does human-centred planning look like?17:53 Should we Change Master Planning Approach?20:58 All plans are maps. But not all maps are plans.22:10 Why planners don't become entrepreneurs?24:18 Saswat's Accidental Journey to Urban Planning27:55 Why do we need High Powered Committee of Urban Planning?31:39 Where does public participation fit?32:22 India's urban future: What Worries & Excites Him?34:01 One thing to change on How we Plan Our cities34:48 The Need for Entrepreneurial Spirit in Urban PlanningAbout the Guest: Prof. Saswat Bandopadhyay has spent more than two decades teaching urban planning at CEPT University and has worked extensively with governments in India and internationally.His work spans urban planning, urban governance, planning education, institutional reform and the use of data and evidence in city planning. He has also been involved in the High Powered Committee on Urban Planning and work around urban observatories and strengthening planning systems.Connect with us here: Follow us on Linkedin: / ruchita-bansal-8396a28 Instagram handle: / ruchi591980. .Who should be our next guest? Write to us at ruchitabansal.shecity@gmail.com -------------------------Disclaimer: The views shared in this conversation are those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Human City Podcast or its host. This content is for informational and educational purposes only.-------------------------Subscribe & Follow If you enjoy conversations on cities, gender, and urban change, hit Subscribe and turn on notifications.Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1syIPWE...

    Who Is Planning Indian Cities? HC E43| with Prof. Saswat Bandopadhyay | Ruchita Bansal

  5. Aug 11

    Does Your City Makes You Feel Alive? HC E42| Urbanist Charles Landry Explains | Ruchita Bansal

    About the EpisodeWhat if the biggest problem with our cities isn't that we don't know how to build them but that we don't know how to make them feel alive? In this episode of The Human City Podcast, I speak with Charles Landry, one of the world's leading thinkers on cities, creativity and city making, and the author of The Creative City and The Art of City Making.We talk about why cities are so often judged by flyovers, metros, skyscrapers and other big projects, while the everyday experience of people living in them is largely ignored.Charles shares why we need to stop thinking of cities as a collection of projects and start thinking of the city as the project. This conversation is ultimately about a simple question- Are we building cities for projects, or are we building them for people?Chapters: 00:00 Intro: Is City the City of Projects or is the City the Project?01:20 Are We Building Cities Wrong?02:43 Why Are Cities Designed by Men?03:58 What Changes When Women Plan Cities?05:17 Why People Resist Change?08:12 What If Women Had Designed Our Cities?09:23 Charles' Journey: From Creative City to Urban Life10:47 Did Cities Understand The Creative City Concept?12:03 The Real Problem Is How We Think13:37 Who Is Actually Responsible for a City?15:10 Can Cities Be More Than Infrastructure?16:09 What Are Cities Failing to Measure?17:41 What Makes a City Feel Alive?19:52 Is Master Planning Killing Our Cities?21:31 Do Cities Feel Anything?22:39 What is Creative Bureaucracy?25:48 Can Bureaucrats be Human?26:05 Do We have Basic Civic Sense?27:32 Why do We Need Public Spaces?29:15 Do Cities Make Us Less Lonely?31:18 My City Has No Public Library31:45 Why Does Every City Want to Be Dubai, Singapore?33:34 Why Is Heritage Important?35:02 Can the Past Create the Future?35:50 Is City Making an Art or a Science?36:49 What Did Charles Landry Get Wrong?37:02 Reflections on the Creative City Concept38:51 Final Thoughts on City Making39:27 One-word city game40:18 Closing Thoughts40:21 The Essence of Urban LivingAbout Charles LandryCharles Landry is an international authority on the use of creativity in urban change and the author of The Creative City and The Art of City Making. His work explores how cities can become more imaginative, inclusive, culturally alive and capable of responding to change.

    Does Your City Makes You Feel Alive? HC E42| Urbanist Charles Landry Explains | Ruchita Bansal

  6. Jul 28

    Can India Become a Developed Nation by 2047? Urban Policy Expert Explains | HC E41 | Ruchita Bansal

    About the EpisodeIndia has set an ambitious goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047. But can that happen without transforming our cities?In this episode of The Human City Podcast, I speak with Jagan Shah—architect, urban planner, former CEO of the Smart Cities Mission, and one of India's leading voices on urban development—to explore one of the biggest questions facing the country, Will India Become Developed by 2047?Chapters: 00:00 Intro: Why Indian Cities are Failing?01:28 Can India Really Become a Developed Country?02:49 The Biggest Problem With Indian Cities04:24 Why Indian Cities Feel Broken?06:57 Why Inequality Is Built Into Indian Cities?08:04 Do Indian Cities Work for Women?10:53 Who Is Actually Running Our Cities?13:55 The One Solution Nobody Wants to Try17:16 The Truth Behind Smart Cities Mission21:10 Why Smart Cities Mission Didn't Work?23:34 Was "Smart" the Wrong Word for the Mission?25:22 Why We Build Projects Instead of Better Cities?26:44 What Smart Cities Actually Got Right?28:01 How Smart Cities Mission Could Improve?29:38 Why India Never Learns From Success34:05 One Thing India Must Stop Doing35:58 If We Could Redesign India.36:22 A Message to Every Young IndianAbout the GuestJagan Shah is an architect, urban planner, and one of India's leading urban policy experts. He has spent more than three decades working on urban development, housing, governance, and city planning in India.Over the course of his career, he has advised governments, multilateral organisations, and city administrations on urban planning, sustainable development, housing, infrastructure, and institutional reform. He has also worked extensively on urban research, public policy, and capacity building for city governments.Connect with us here: Follow us on Linkedin: / ruchita-bansal-8396a28 Instagram handle: / ruchi591980. .Who should be our next guest? Write to us at ruchitabansal.shecity@gmail.com -------------------------Disclaimer: The views shared in this conversation are those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Human City Podcast or its host. This content is for informational and educational purposes only.-------------------------Subscribe & Follow If you enjoy conversations on cities, gender, and urban change, hit Subscribe and turn on notifications.Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1syIPWE...

    Can India Become a Developed Nation by 2047? Urban Policy Expert Explains | HC E41 | Ruchita Bansal

  7. Jul 14

    Why are Indian Cities are so Chaotic? Harvard Economist Explains | HC E40| Edward Glaeser

    About the Episode Why do Indian cities feel so chaotic while cities like Tokyo seem to work effortlessly?In this episode of The Human City Podcast, I speak with Professor Edward Glaeser, one of the world's leading urban economists from Harvard University and author of Triumph of the City.We discuss why Indian cities struggle despite decades of planning, whether metros are always the right answer, why Tokyo is actually a remarkably unplanned city, and what India should learn and avoid from cities like London, New York, Singapore and Seoul. Professor Glaeser also shares why housing becomes unaffordable, what governments get wrong about urban planning, why public spaces matter more than master plans, and why India's future depends on building better cities rather than simply bigger ones. Chapters: 00:00 Intro: Why are Indian Cities so Chaotic?00:39 Lessons from Global Cities00:53 Essentials of Urban Planning01:12 The Urban Obsession: A Personal Journey02:20 His Famous Book: Triumph of the City03:50 What Makes A City, Great?04:37 What's Wrong With Indian Cities?05:36 Why Infrastructure Fails?06:20 Should We Fix Slums?06:57 Should we Formalise Slums in India?07:51 Do Cities Make People Poor?09:32 Affordable Housing09:57 Don't repeat America's mistakes10:23 Can Cities Stay Affordable?10:41 Can We Really Compare Singapore with India?11:22 Should India Build Differently?11:50 Rules India Should Adopt13:16 What NOT to copy from the Western Countries13:55 Should India Focus on Metro Or Buses?15:13 Can We Stop Urban Flooding?16:15 Tokyo Vs Mumbai17:06 How to Design Safer Cities for Women?18:20 His Favourite Cities18:56 His Biggest Belief19:37 Criticism of his Work20:27 The Power Of Curiosity20:58 One Advice For IndiaAbout the Guest: Professor Edward Glaeser is the Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics at Harvard University. He is one of the world's foremost experts on cities, housing, urban economics and economic development, and the bestselling author of Triumph of the City and Survival of the City.Connect with us here: Follow us on Linkedin: / ruchita-bansal-8396a28 Instagram handle: / ruchi591980. .Who should be our next guest? Write to us at ruchitabansal.shecity@gmail.com -------------------------Disclaimer: The views shared in this conversation are those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Human City Podcast or its host. This content is for informational and educational purposes only.-------------------------Subscribe & Follow If you enjoy conversations on cities, gender, and urban change, hit Subscribe and turn on notifications.Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1syIPWE...

    Why are Indian Cities are so Chaotic? Harvard Economist Explains | HC E40| Edward Glaeser

  8. Jul 1

    Can Metros Really Solve India's Traffic Problem? O.P. Agarwal, Policy Expert | HC E39 |

    About the EpisodeWhy do Indian cities keep repeating the same mistakes?Despite decades of policies, billions spent on infrastructure, and one of the world's fastest-growing metro networks, our cities continue to struggle with congestion, pollution, flooding and poor public transport.In this episode, we unpack why that happens. From the National Urban Transport Policy to metro rail, master planning, land use, governance and the future of India's urbanisation, this conversation explores why building more infrastructure alone cannot solve our urban challenges.If you've ever wondered why our cities don't seem to improve despite massive investments, this episode offers a different way of looking at the problem.Chapters: 00:00 The Importance of Urban Management in India01:33 The Real Reason Indian Cities Don't Work03:20 We're Fighting Traffic the Wrong Way05:46 Is Population Really the Problem in India?06:51 Why India's Transport Policy Never Worked?08:57 Challenges in Implementing Urban Policies10:05 The ₹300 Crore Metro Question12:39 Why Public-Private Partnerships Keep Failing15:32 Should India Stop Building Mega Cities?17:11 Who Is Actually Responsible for Broken Cities?18:34 Why Our Bureaucracy Needs to Change19:03 Civil Service Models: Insights from France and China20:37 Capacity Building in Public Policy21:28 Are We Training the Wrong Urban Planners?22:41 Challenges in Capacity Building Implementation24:06 Why Great Ideas Never Scale in India?25:15 How Much Power Does a Bureaucrat Really Have?26:11 The Biggest Lie About Master Planning27:52 One Urban Policy India Actually Got Right28:33 The Biggest Urban Mistake India Will Regret29:27 The Advice Every Young Planner Needs30:10 The Need for a National Urbanization Policy32:03 Why Cities Need Money, Not Just Projects?33:40 Closing RemarksAbout the Guest: O.P. Agarwal is one of India's most respected urban transport and mobility experts.He played a key role in shaping India's National Urban Transport Policy (2006) and has spent decades working on urban transport, infrastructure planning and public policy. Over the course of his career, he has worked with the Government of India, multilateral institutions and cities across the country to improve urban mobility and planning.Drawing on decades of experience, he shares why India's transport challenges are often not about a lack of infrastructure—but about how we plan, govern and prioritize our cities.Connect with us here: Follow us on Linkedin: / ruchita-bansal-8396a28 Instagram handle: / ruchi591980. .Who should be our next guest? Write to us at ruchitabansal.shecity@gmail.com -------------------------Disclaimer: The views shared in this conversation are those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Human City Podcast or its host. This content is for informational and educational purposes only.-------------------------Subscribe & Follow If you enjoy conversations on cities, gender, and urban change, hit Subscribe and turn on notifications.Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1syIPWE...

    Can Metros Really Solve India's Traffic Problem? O.P. Agarwal, Policy Expert | HC E39 |
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About

Cities often fail people not by accident, but by design. The Human City explores how governance, finance, mobility, and urban design shape our everyday lives — and what happens when we start designing cities for everyone, not just the powerful few. Hosted by Ruchita Bansal, an urban planner with 15+ years of experience leading city transformations in India, this podcast brings global voices and honest conversations on how to make cities safer, inclusive, and truly human.

Information

  • Creator
    Ruchita Bansal
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    47
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Ruchita Bansal
  • Show Website
    The Human City