Transitopia - by Mansha Swami

Besides the proliferation of large gyms across the hilly city, it is important to explore other fitness and mobility options available to the citizens of Dehradun. Do the residents of this city lack motivation or are they simply too busy to prioritize an active lifestyle? Let us not rely on outdated data from decades ago, as Swedish physician and bestselling author of the book "Factfulness" advises. In the past, it was true that the average citizen of Dehradun used to walk a considerable number of steps daily. However, over the past four years, the situation has changed significantly, contrary to popular belief. In 2019-20, students from DIT University's Civil Engineering Department, under my supervision, conducted an assessment of active mobility in Dehradun during and after the COVID-19 lockdown. We collected data from over 500 residents using Google Forms as part of our design project. Our findings revealed some interesting insights. When asked about their preferre...