CBNAP

Community based neighbourhood accessibility plan

Introduction

Purvca Foundation has signed a collaboration agreement with the Directorate of Town and Country Planning, Assam to co-develop a Community-Based Neighbourhood Accessibility Plan (CBNAP) in Guwahati Municipal Corporation ward 46. The proposed initiative aims to directly engage citizens and local stakeholders to develop an actionable, neighbourhood-scale framework for improving accessibility to public transport, strengthening walking and cycling networks, and creating climate-responsive, inclusive urban environments. 

CBNAP is a people-centric, transit-oriented planning approach aimed at improving residents’ ability to safely, comfortably, and efficiently access the nearest BBPT (Bus Based Public Transport) nodes to access wider parts of the city, while also strengthening accessibility within the neighbourhood.  At its core, CBNAP recognises that accessibility is achieved through continuous, inclusive, and well-connected mobility systems rather than isolated transport infrastructure interventions.

The approach combines data-driven technical analysis with sustained community engagement to ensure that interventions are context-responsive, implementable, and socially accepted. It adopts a holistic perspective, integrating mobility, environmental resilience, and social inclusion into neighbourhood-level planning.

About GMC Ward no 46

• This ward has a decent amount of social infrastructure (educational institutes, healthcare facilities) along with commercial and government offices. 

• There is a major market area, Beltola, nearby that attracts a lot of street vendors and vehicles. The bi-weekly market attracts a lot of vehicular traffic as well.

• The ward lies at the eastern fringe of the city and is one of the major thoroughfares of the city. 

• It connects to 3 major public transportation (Beltola Tiniali, Khanapara & Six Mile) nodes and also to the national highway.

The key principles of CBNAP

• Enabling safe, inclusive, and universally accessible streets.

• Embedding community-led participatory and consensus based decision-making processes.

• Promoting complete streets and child-friendly urban design (aligned with Urban95 initiative).

• Integrating nature-based solutions to combat environmental hazards (urban heat island effect, air pollution).

• Ensuring alignment with existing policies (National Urban Transport Policy , Transit Oriented Development), plans (Guwahati Draft Master Plan, Neighbourhood Improvement Plan, National Clean Air Programme), and guidelines (Urban and Regional Development Plans Formulation and Implementation).

CBNAP addresses and aligns with the following components of MoHUA’s SSASCI 2025–26 guidelines :

• Identification of high-risk zones, accident-prone areas, and congested streets

• Mapping schools with strategies for safe accessibility

• Improving urban safety for women, children, and disabled individuals

In addition, CBNAP complements the existing framework in the following ways:

• CBNAP will focus on improving accessibility to BBPT Nodes to connect neighbourhoods to the overall city as well as points of interest within the neighbourhood.

• It will be prepared with constant engagement and coordination with the community including residents, businesses, local elected representatives, educational institutions, social leaders, local groups and associations.

• It will integrate Urban 95 initiatives while designing the interventions.

• Its solutions will focus on improvement of transport infrastructure (footpaths, junctions, traffic islands, cycle lanes, parking, vending zones, IPT stations, street furniture) so that it's easier for people to access points of interest or BBPT nodes.

• It will also suggest changes, if required, in BBPT route planning to bring public transport closer to people.

Community engagement 

It will adopt a structured, participatory and consensus based decision making approach, including but not limited to 

• Focus Group Discussions

• Visioning workshops / Visioning Walks

• Open street events

• Tactical urbanism interventions, 

• School-based engagements, 

• Handlebar surveys. 

Conclusion

Overall, CBNAP shifts the focus from isolated projects to systemic accessibility improvements, ensuring that all residents, especially vulnerable groups, can reach transit nodes and places of interest within the neighbourhood with ease and dignity.

CBNAP envisions that appropriate infrastructure will lead to modal shifts towards sustainable modes of transportation such as mass transit and active mobility, which will in turn lead to decongestion of the streets, improvement in road safety, and reduction in environmental hazards, thereby ultimately helping build more liveable cities.

Activities undertaken