Ranjit Gadgil

Program Director

As someone who grew up exclusively in cities, I have experienced the stresses and growing problems of mobility, safety, pollution and a general deterioration of the quality of life. The realization that the urbanization trajectory can be different leading to more sustainable, safe, inclusive and healthy cities, for individuals and communities, led to a journey of learning about (and in some cases experiencing) and understanding how this can happen. Parisar, which had embarked upon this path for two decades before I joined in 2006, provided the perfect platform for turning these ideas into reality. From working on the first “Comprehensive Traffic and Transportation Plan” for Pune in 2007 to advocating for various policy instruments such as the Urban Street Design Guidelines, Comprehensive Bicycle Plan and Pedestrian Safety Policy has allowed me to leverage my analytical skills - given my Physics background - to enable lasting social change. Now I work with a dedicated team working across air pollution, road safety, sustainable mobility, environment and urban governance, to achieve the vision of a better future.

I strongly believe in a systems approach to solving social problems, underscoring the emphasis on policy advocacy and governance reforms in my work. Insights into this from the transport sector culminated in co-authoring the book “Paving the Way for Better Governance in Urban Transport: The Transport Governance Initiative”.

When not working (rare!) can be found cycling in and around the city, hiking/backpacking and watching films for relaxation.