Building Infrastructure for Pedestrians in India

With its huge population and increasing demand for urban infrastructure, India has the potential to be a world leader in providing adequate infrastructure for pedestrians. It is an opportunity for development of not only corporations in the construction space but also for companies and individuals providing facility management services. There is a need to think beyond traditional road development approaches, that are vehicle friendly, to deliver world class
amenities for pedestrians and possibly for cyclists and other eco friendly
means of transport.

This area is not without development and there are some good examples, already. Some of them are -
1. Development of footpaths and elevated footpaths in metros and major cities.
2. Foot over bridges and subways at prominent locations ( at present though, these are built to streamline traffic movement in congested area with customer comfort being an after thought).
3. Integrated development of amenities for pedestrians at places of tourist interest. ( some tenders specify development of conveyor facilities, mini trams, etc. that do not require manned operations)

Currently, there is a need driven approach to development based on feedback and input to town and city planning authorities and urban development bodies. To go from here to a world
leading position, we need a services and marketing push by facility management
and construction firms to local bodies and urban development authorities. There
is a need to create infrastructure for pedestrians in a way that it can recoup its investment and return an income as well. Let us see how this is possible.

In order to transform infrastructure for pedestrians into an earning asset, it needs to provide a billable service. This could be of these major types -
1. Rentals from mobile vendors and service providers
2. Advertising revenue from road facing and curb facing signage
3. Rentals from shops and markets created as part of the infrastructure for pedestrians
4. Fines collected for encroachment, littering and other offenses
5. Rentals from other infrastructure providers using pedestrian spaces, like broadband, cable, telecom, water, sewerage, etc.
6. Revenues from value added services like conveyor belts, mini trams, all weather shelters, etc.
7. Revenues from basic services like toilets, water dispensers, etc.

This list is not exhaustive and shows that there are multiple options for earning revenues from such spaces. Creating an all weather infrastructure can push up costs, but can multiply the earning potential as well. It could be further integrated with mass transit systems to increase the
area, and hence the earning potential.

The financing of such infrastructure can be obtained from central
schemes like JNNURM, MPLAD, and from funds earmarked for local bodies, among
others. There is also scope for public-private partnerships, especially with
builders constructing new housing and commercial development. Besides these,
shops and commercial establishments in the vicinity could contribute as
partners in the overall development of their areas.

The maintenance and operation of such infrastructure could be a
daunting proposition for local bodies facing fund paucity, and hence revenue
generation is of utmost priority. However, it is also an area with tremendous
scope for employment of the under-developed sections of urban society. These
are some of the jobs that could get created -
1. Cleaning staff
2. Service and maintenance staff
3. Gardeners
4. Location based service providers and enablers (like tourist
guides, etc)
5. Security staff

If some of those services are offered as paid services, the posts could be auctioned off locality wise to generate additional income. They could alternatively be covered by urban employment schemes on the lines of NREGA.

Overall, thanks to increasing urbanization, infrastructure development for pedestrians deserves increased focus and could emerge into a sector that can propel the economy forward.