About the Expert
Prof. K.T. Ravindran is a leading voice in urban design and currently serves as the Head of the Department of Urban Design at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi. A founding figure of the Institute of Urban Designers, he is deeply involved in both teaching and shaping the future of cities. His courses, such as Urban Morphology and Humanizing Cities, reflect a multidisciplinary approach — combining architecture, geography, and sociology to understand and respond to urban growth.
Prof. Ravindran’s influence extends well beyond academia. He has held prominent public roles, including Vice Chairman of the Environmental Impact Assessment Committee under the Government of India, where he reviewed major development projects for environmental sustainability. He has also advised the UN Secretary-General on urban initiatives in New York City, and served on the Delhi Urban Art Commission — bringing together aesthetic, social, and ecological concerns in the context of Indian urbanism.
Future Ideas (FI): What values do you think form the foundation of a city?
KT Ravindran:
Cities aren’t consciously built on a set of values. Instead, these values emerge from the people who inhabit and shape them. The cultural, social, and communal fabric of a city defines its value system. It’s not something a planner or designer imposes — it’s something that evolves from within society itself.
FI: Do Indian cities follow any unique design principles that help manage what some call ‘chaos’?
KT Ravindran:
I’d actually challenge the notion that Indian cities are chaotic. What might look disordered to an outsider is often a highly complex system operating on multiple levels. Cities here work through layered negotiations between people, functions, and spaces. There’s a dynamic equilibrium — some elements are long-term, some fleeting, but all co-exist. What appears chaotic is just different systems of order interacting with one another at different speeds and intentions. Instead of viewing it as dysfunction, we should learn to decode its underlying logic — that’s when real insights and improvements become possible.
FI: How can urban design contribute to making cities safer for women, especially in public spaces?
KT Ravindran:
Safety is largely a governance issue, but design plays an important supporting role. We need to “calm” the city — not in pace, but in atmosphere. Public spaces must be well-lit, accessible, and actively used. When design fails — when spaces are isolated, neglected, or poorly planned — that’s where crime festers. A city that prioritizes inclusive and inviting public infrastructure inherently becomes safer. Designers, therefore, need to work in tandem with policymakers and law enforcement to create environments that discourage harm.
FI: With urban populations growing rapidly, how can Indian cities keep up? Are there global examples India could learn from?
KT Ravindran:
Indian cities have consistently struggled with managing large-scale migration, and that’s a key challenge. Migration usually results from regional imbalances — unequal access to services, jobs, and infrastructure. Unfortunately, we haven’t developed effective systems to accommodate this flow. The result is often ghettoisation and the growth of informal settlements.
Globally, cities like those in Brazil have done better at integrating migrants by regularizing slums and investing in inclusive public infrastructure. Their delivery mechanisms — particularly for housing and basic services — are far more responsive than what we see in India. That said, there’s no single solution. Every city has its own trajectory, history, and demographic profile. What’s needed is a localized, layered approach — one that recognizes complexity instead of trying to impose a universal model.
