Varanasi Unveiled: People, Places and Patterns

Every year, Varanasi’s narrow lanes and ghats welcome millions of visitors all throughout the year in surge numbers, creating complex challenges of overcrowding in the old city. To help the city manage this surge sustainably, WRI India partnered with The Urban Lab to map and understand how people move, gather, and experience the historic core of Varanasi.

Through on-ground surveys, layered mapping, and data analysis, we are decoding crowd movement patterns to identify bottlenecks and improve safety and accessibility. The project creates visual tools and actionable insights to support city agencies in managing crowd surges while preserving Varanasi’s vibrant street life. By blending data-driven analysis with urban design thinking, we are contributing to making Varanasi’s public spaces safer, more resilient, and welcoming for everyone.