Entrepreneur Shruti Chaturvedi says India can learn a lot from the Canadian city of Vancouver, where footpaths are considered critical architecture and public transport is reliable. Chaturvedi, founder of India Action Project, shared 19 ways in which Vancouver outranks Indian cities when it comes to public convenience.
The Ahmedabad-based entrepreneur revealed that she spent two weeks living in Vancouver. What she discovered about the city – which is consistently ranked among the world’s most liveable cities – left her wondering about how and where India falls short.
Her observations
Shruti Chaturvedi shared 19 points on X to compare Indian cities with Vancouver. The first thing she admired about the Canadian city is how it considers footpaths to be “critical architecture.”
Footpaths are “wide, shaded and continuous. Every crossing respects the pedestrian. Cars yield without honking. Even in suburban areas, sidewalks are protected,” she wrote.
In Vancouver, waterfronts belong to the public and can be used for walking or cycling. There is “no private ownership of shorelines,” Chaturvedi said.
Unlike India, where many major cities face a lack of reliable public transportation, Vancouver’s public transit system is reliable and easy. In fact, Chaturvedi claims she never had to wait for a bus or a train while living there.
“Public transport is reliable, integrated, easy. Skytrain, buses, ferries — one card, one app. Timings are predictable. Never had to wait!” she wrote.
Parks and recreation
Shruti Chaturvedi admired how parks are integral to city planning in Vancouver. Besides the big parks, every neighbourhood seems to have small parks and open spaces. She also contrasted how nature in Vancouver is treated as sacred with the way it’s treated in India.
“Trees, mountains, rivers are not obstacles to development — they are integral to the city’s design. In India, we worship nature, but rarely respect nature in true, practical sense,” she wrote, giving the example of Indian rivers.
One thing she reiterated again and again in her X thread is how Vancouver residents have easy access to public spaces – parks are free, cycling tracks line the ocean, and urban “density is managed intelligently.”
“Public spaces stay public. Libraries, community centres, pools — all designed to be accessible for everyone, not just premium users,” the Indian founder noted.
She observed how public health is not limited to hospitals in Vancouver but is a way of life. “Public health is designed into the city. Walkability, green access, clean air — this is all considered part of public health, not just hospitals,” she wrote.
Healthcare in India vs Canada
However, there was one criteria where India scores higher – public healthcare. According to Chaturvedi, Canadians technically have access to free healthcare through public insurance. However, wait time for surgeries and specialists can run into years, says Chaturvedi.
Moreover, visitors and international students have to rely on private insurance for healthcare. And going without insurance is extremely expensive – “A simple emergency room visit can cost $800–$1500 without coverage,” Chaturvedi revealed.
On the other hand, Indian healthcare, with all its challenges, seems to serve people better. “Indian cities and rural India has its own challenges but I feel India’s healthcare as a system, though relatively under resourced, is much better for our scale and our needs,” said the Indian CEO.
