IISc report flags Bengaluru’s livability crisis despite high standard of living

A recent study by transportation experts at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has revealed a glaring paradox in Bengaluru’s urban growth: while the city offers a relatively good standard of living, its quality of life remains worryingly low. The findings were presented at the “1st World Symposium on Sustainable Transport and Livability,” where researchers compared Bengaluru’s urban infrastructure and mobility with leading global cities.

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Professor Ashish Verma, who leads the IISc Sustainable Transportation Lab, emphasized the critical difference between standard of living and quality of life. He explained that while the former relates to economic capacity, such as owning vehicle, the latter reflects real-life challenges like commuting stress, time spent in traffic, and health impacts due to poor mobility infrastructure.

The report criticizes the city’s lack of walkable and cycle-friendly infrastructure, noting that this severely hampers residents’ physical well-being. Despite government delegations frequently visiting cities like Singapore to study transport models, the report says their recommendations are rarely implemented. Citing the tunnel road proposal in Bengaluru, Professor Verma noted that such expensive models are unsuited for a city where the per capita income is significantly lower than Singapore's.

The report also highlighted the absence of a dedicated service cadre for urban mobility, calling it a major gap in policy execution. It urged the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, not the Indian Road Congress, to take the lead in framing national guidelines for urban transport systems.

Six key themes were identified as urgent areas of focus: overall well-being, health, equity, environmental resilience, transport accessibility, and urban livability. The study stresses the importance of inclusive planning, particularly for vulnerable and marginalized communities, to bridge current social and mobility disparities.