Rahul Kadri
An Urban Bridge in the Forest
What does it mean to design for a city where space is scarce, change is relentless, and the people who live there are too often left out of the process?
Mumbai architect and urban designer Rahul Kadri joins The Sidewalk Ballet for a conversation about architecture as a tool for creating not just buildings, but healthier, more connected cities.
Rahul is Principal Architect and Partner at IMK Architects, the practice founded by his father, I. M. Kadri, and his work spans architecture, urban planning, housing, education, ecology, and public space. We talk about inheriting—and evolving—a significant architectural legacy; new approaches to Mumbai's housing and density challenges; designing places that encourage friendship and connection; and rethinking the design process itself to make it more collaborative and participatory.
And, of course, we talk about the Malabar Hill Forest Trail: an extraordinary elevated walkway winding through a long-inaccessible urban forest that Rahul first explored as a boy. What began during the pandemic as an idea for reclaiming a piece of his childhood has become one of Mumbai's most celebrated new public spaces — and a powerful example of what can happen when architects don't wait for a client to tell them what a city needs.
It's a conversation about who gets to shape the city, how architects can create the conditions for people to shape it together, and what it means to build for connection in one of the densest cities on Earth.
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