Why Do Indian Streets Feel So Dangerous? HC E32 | Jullietta Jung | Ruchita Bansal

About the Episode: Why do Indian streets feel so dangerous?It's not bad luck. It's not culture. It's design.In this episode I speak with Jullietta Jung — urban mobility strategist, former project lead at the Global Designing Cities Initiative, and someone who has worked on streets in Sydney, Pune and cities across four continents.She came to India to help build better cycling and walking infrastructure. What she found surprised her — and disturbed her in equal measure.We talk about why Indian streets are hostile by design, why public participation in urban projects is still largely a performance, why wider roads make cities more dangerous not less, and why the cities we think are broken already have everything they need to work — we just refuse to see it.One line she said that I haven't stopped thinking about:"In India, one lane doesn't mean one vehicle. It means six two-wheelers."And another:"Our streets can be a free gym. Why do we need to pay for a gym membership if we could just go for a walk 20 minutes a day?"This is one of the most grounded, honest conversations I've had about what it actually takes to change a city — not from a planner's desk, but from the street up.Chapters: 00:00 The Bike Ride That Changed Everything01:33 What is a Livable City?02:24 Is the 15-Minute City Possible in India?03:17 Two-Wheelers Like Water — The Indian Design Challenge05:15 Leadership Can Make or Break a Project06:40 Challenges Faced while Working in Indian Cities07:34 How COVID Built Sydney's Cycleways?08:51 India's Consultation Problem09:52 Three Principles for Streets People Want to Use10:47 Safety is Design, Not Policing11:52 Why Wider Roads Make Faster Drivers?12:55 The City I Would Transform13:51 Young People Give Me HopeAbout the Guest: Jullietta Jung is an urban mobility strategist with over two decades of experience designing streets, cycling infrastructure and public spaces across Australia, India and internationally.She was a key figure in delivering Sydney's pop-up cycleways during COVID — 15 kilometres of protected cycling infrastructure built in weeks, most of which are still in use today. She has led walking and cycling projects in Pimpri Chinchwad with the Global Designing Cities Initiative, working directly with communities, engineers and city officials to make streets safer and more livable.Before urban planning, she was a software engineer — it took one bike ride to change everything.She works at the intersection of design, community engagement and political advocacy, and believes that the most powerful tool in city-making is not infrastructure. It is the question you decide to ask.Connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jullietta-jung/------------------------About the Host: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 The 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.”