MobiliseHER roundtables in Kochi focus on gender and urban mobility
- Thamires Pecis
- Jul 30
- 2 min read
How can urban mobility in Kochi be made safer and more inclusive for women and vulnerable groups? Listening closely to those most affected is essential, and that’s exactly what the MobiliseHER project is doing.
As part of its mission to support gender-responsive urban mobility, the MobiliseHER project recently hosted a series of Ideation Roundtables in Kochi to gather neighbourhood-specific insights into the barriers to gender-inclusive mobility. These sessions created space for open dialogue and collective problem-solving, building directly on the findings of earlier Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) conducted in the city.
Bringing voices to the table
Led by the Urban Electric Mobility Initiative (UEMI) and the Centre for Heritage, Environment and Development (C-HED), in collaboration with Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), the roundtables brought together residents, local civil society organizations, and elected representatives. With strong support from local councillors, each session helped ensure broad community participation and grounded, neighbourhood-specific discussions.
For two months, the roundtables took place across nine neighbourhoods: Fort Kochi, Vathuruthy, Vyttila, Kakkanad, Aluva, Perumbavoor, Panampilly Nagar, Maradu, and Vypin. Each session brought together around 25 participants, most of whom were women, who shared their daily experiences of getting around the city.
The conversations highlighted pressing issues like the lack of safety in public spaces, limited accessibility and affordability of transport options, and socio-cultural norms that restrict women’s mobility.
The MobiliseHER project
The MobiliseHER is a three-year project, co-funded by EuropeAid, and implemented by a partnership between Urban Electric Mobility Initiative (UEMI), WRI India, CEPT Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) and Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA India). The project is designed to enable gender-responsive urban mobility and create inclusive infrastructure and services, with the goal to develop comprehensive solutions that address systemic issues in urban transport. Alongside Kochi, it is also being implemented in Ahmedabad and Bengaluru, with a focus on strengthening the role of civil society in shaping more inclusive transport systems.
The roundtables are just one example of how MobiliseHER is helping turn community knowledge into meaningful action, laying the foundation for safer, fairer, and more sustainable mobility in Indian cities.
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