Skywalks as social spaces? Rethinking their role in city life

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

As Indian cities grapple with rising traffic congestion, shrinking footpaths, and unsafe pedestrian infrastructure, skywalks are increasingly seen as a fix. These long, elevated walkways, once a rarity, currently span chaotic intersections and crowded roads in cities such as Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Hyderabad.
Take Kolkata, for instance. In April, it unveiled a 435-metre skywalk at Kalighat to manage temple-bound crowds. In Delhi, a new skywalk opened last year, connecting the Nehru Place Metro station to the district centre. Hyderabad is set to inaugurate one at the busy Mehdipatnam junction. Bengaluru recently announced a 200-metre skywalk at Hudson Circle, while Noida is planning a circular skywalk at the Sector 62/63 roundabout along the Delhi–Meerut Expressway. Mumbai, meanwhile, has already built several skywalks across major transport and commercial hubs.
As these structures become an increasingly prominent feature of India's urban landscape, a key question arises: should skywalks remain just mobility corridors to cross busy roads—or be re-imagined as public spaces that enrich city life?
The question is pressing because, despite huge investment in building them, many skywalks remain underused. Long detours, poor lighting, inconvenient entry points, lack of escalators, and inadequate maintenance often make them unattractive to pedestrians—raising concerns about their purpose and potential.
'Skywalks, if absolutely necessary, must be seen as more than just elevated walkways. Think of them as verandahs or urban balconies,' says Naresh Narasimhan, a Bengaluru-based architect and urban designer. 'They can frame views of heritage structures, serve as platforms for public art, and offer shade and pause points above the chaos. Their design must respond to context—be it an old market street, a government district, or a transit hub. If they feel like alien appendages, people will avoid them. But if they invite interaction, people will take ownership.'
Rahul Kadri, a Mumbai-based architect and urban designer known for his biophilic approach to architecture, believes elevated pathways should be seen as public spaces where human connection and experience matter deeply.
Incorporating native greenery through planters, vertical gardens, or shaded canopies can help regulate microclimate, reduce heat, and soften the hard edges of urban infrastructure, says Kadri. 'Nature invites us to pause, breathe, and connect—precisely the kind of experience skywalks can subtly offer, even as spaces primarily meant for movement,' he says. 'Instead of becoming sterile passageways, they can be activated—like many under-flyover spaces across the country—to serve as more than just transit corridors.'
Turning elevated space into place
Globally, some cities have successfully transformed elevated walkways into vibrant urban spaces. A standout example is Seoul's Seoullo 7017—a former highway overpass converted in 2017 into a 1,024-metre-long elevated sky garden. Lined with cafés, gardens, art installations, and even foot baths, it currently serves not just as a pedestrian route, but also as a green promenade and a popular leisure destination.
Narasimhan argues that for skywalks to evolve into social spaces, there needs to be a shift in how infrastructure is conceived. 'They shouldn't be seen as sterile engineering solutions. They must be re-imagined as civic experiences, as places that invite people in, not just move them across,' he says.
This, he says, calls for political leadership that values good design over the cheapest bid, and a collaborative process that brings together urban designers, ecologists, artists, lighting experts, and local communities. 'Infrastructure must do more than move people—it must connect, restore, and create shared experiences. It must become 'infraculture'.'
Delhi-based architect Goonmeet Singh, architect for the ITO Skywalk, one of the city's most recognisable structures, echoes this sentiment. 'We had included seating, and even proposed kiosks on the skywalk, but the latter was eventually dropped over concerns that street vendors might overrun the space. I believe kiosks can make a walkway feel more active and safer,' he says.
Today, the ITO Skywalk shows signs of neglect: torn canopies, a non-functional lift, and poor upkeep. 'The original plan was to extend the walkway to ITO and Pragati Maidan, which would have drawn many more users,' Singh adds.
Would he have done anything differently in hindsight? 'Yes,' he says. 'I would have liked to add escalators, but budget constraints at the time didn't allow for it.'
Policy and governance challenges often limit the design potential of skywalks. Besides, tendering processes prioritise low-cost bids, often sidelining accessibility and quality. Hyderabad's upcoming 390-metre Mehdipatnam skywalk initially included 21,000 sq ft of commercial space—cafés, snack lounges, and seating areas. 'However, the Defence Ministry, which owns the land, advised against commercial use, so the design was revised to exclude commercial structures,' said an official at Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA).
'The project costs ₹38 crore and will open in August,' said Hari Krishna, executive engineer, HMDA.
Disconnected and disliked?
Many skywalks across India have faced criticism for poor design and useability. Chennai's 570-metre-long skywalk in T Nagar, built in 2023 at a cost of ₹28 crore, has been called disconnected and unattractive. Hyderabad's Uppal skywalk has drawn flak for offering little protection from sun or rain.
Kolkata's newly inaugurated Kalighat skywalk has received mixed reactions—praised for its traditional Bengali scroll paintings depicting mythological themes, but criticised for its exterior appearance. On social media, some have called it 'hideous' and 'unsuitable for the elderly and persons with disabilities.' One user on X remarked, 'The quality of Kalighat Skywalk is so poor, it seems metal parts have been glued together in many places.'
A 2022 IIT-Bombay study found that factors such as 24-hour CCTV surveillance, night-time security, escalators, and accessible entry-exit points significantly influence pedestrian willingness to use skywalks in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
Based on video analysis and a perception survey of 1,118 pedestrians across six locations—Grant Road, Vile Parle, Santacruz, Vikhroli, and Thane (East and West)—the study revealed that one in four respondents (26%) had never used a skywalk, while only 38% of users accessed them daily. Among non-users, the lack of escalators emerged as the key factor (81.2%), followed by the lack of proper lighting and security at night (73.2%).
While many skywalks tend to be unpopular and underused, a few stand out for their innovative and user-friendly approach.
Gurugram's Cyber City skywalk, built by DLF, has been lauded for its thoughtful biophilic design, featuring planters and vertical greenery that soften the concrete structure and enhance the walking experience amid the corporate hub. This green integration provides a refreshing contrast to the surrounding glass and steel towers, creating an inviting urban oasis. 'It feels like a break from the concrete jungle. I go for a walk after lunch when the weather is good,' says Aditya Gupta, an IT professional working in Cyber City.
The pedestrian question: safety or displacement?
Walkability and road safety advocates argue that skywalks only serve to move pedestrians out of the way rather than reclaim space for them.
'Skywalks can play a role in pedestrian safety, but only when carefully integrated into a broader pedestrian-first strategy. They are not a one-size-fits-all solution,' says Piyush Tewari, founder and CEO, SaveLIFE Foundation.
'In high-speed, high-volume traffic zones—like near expressways or major transit terminals—skywalks may offer a protected crossing. But when prioritised over safer ground-level designs, they shift the burden of safety onto pedestrians instead of addressing the root causes in traffic flow and road design,' adds Tewari.
In 2023, India recorded approximately 172,000 road accident fatalities, with pedestrians accounting for nearly 20% (around 34,000 deaths)—an average of 93 deaths every day—up from 32,825 pedestrian deaths in 2022. In Delhi alone, pedestrians made up 43% of all road crash deaths that year, according to official data.
'I believe skywalks are primarily built to help motorists by clearing pedestrians off the roads,' says urban mobility expert Shreya Gadepalli. 'They reflect a failure to provide proper pedestrian infrastructure. It is entirely possible to design effective ground-level facilities—Pondy Bazaar in Chennai and JM Road in Pune are great examples.'
Tewari agrees. 'Streets should be designed for people, not just vehicles. Elevating pedestrians above traffic might reduce some conflicts but compromises the principle of equitable street design. The safest cities aren't those where people avoid roads, but where they can cross them confidently and safely. Ground-level, human-scale infrastructure is more sustainable, inclusive, and effective.'
Narasimhan says that there is a need to confront a deeper issue: the consistent exclusion of people—their patterns, needs, and everyday experiences—from how we design urban infrastructure. 'We build for traffic flow and structural efficiency, but rarely for how people actually move, pause, or inhabit the city,' he says.
'To be truly effective, skywalks must be part of an integrated urban strategy—one that prioritises walkability, enhances the quality of ground-level public space, and strengthens last-mile connectivity. They should function as seamless extensions of transit nodes—metro stations, bus stops, railway terminals—with way-finding, lighting, greenery, and universal accessibility,' says Kadri.
Only then, he adds, will skywalks become active, inclusive links in the city's mobility network—less like bridges to nowhere, and more like places where people belong.
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