Abstract Summary
Walking in most Indian cities is a practice carried out with caution, especially for women. While there has been urgent discourse on the challenges faced in the practice of walking, there is a recognition of the waterfront promenades of Mumbai, as a place that offers favourable walking environments for women. It provides opportunities to partake in different typologies of walks, choosing from diverse, inclusive environments that could, for example, offer spaces to pause and connect with urban nature, interact with fellow pedestrians, or to loiter and immerse oneself with the rhythms of the city. However, this engagement becomes possible only when there is a feeling of safety. Through site-specific observations along waterfronts, as well as an analysis of interviews conducted with 25 women, the research explores the relationship between environmental characteristics- physical and social dimensions of specific settings along waterfronts- and the dynamics of safety. There is an aim to understand safety in relation to instances of crime, but also to extend this definition- connecting safety to practices of urban belonging, sharing, commonality, care for one another other, and care for the environment. The result is the identification of urban forms and atmospheres along waterfront promenades, that play a key role in the perception and creation of place for women, using narratives. The study addresses the core importance of walkability for health, liveability and sustainability, but also as a means for women to participate in urban life.
