Archives - Question of Cities

‘Riverfront development is the murder of rivers, turning rivers into drains.’

“The Aravari taught me to flow like water,” says Dr Rajendra Singh, renowned water conservationist, in this interview, explaining how the work of turning it perennial influenced his life’s work and methods. Riverfront development, now unfolding across India’s cities, is…

Pune riverfront work narrows the Mula-Mutha, slashes
green to grey

The network of rivers in Pune have created and sustained life; their banks, riparian zones, and channels (not canals) have been functional spaces for humans and flora-fauna, nurturing an eternal ecological truth. The riverfront development will turn it from a…

Musi riverfront project for real estate, sidelines people
and river

Only the first phase of the Musi riverfront development project in Hyderabad will be around Rs 7,000 crore; the total cost is estimated from Rs 56,000 crore to allegedly Rs 1.5 lakh crore—the most expensive riverfront work in India. Several…

Copy-paste riverfront model discounts Godavari’s ecology and heritage

Real estate over ecological restoration, multiplicity of agencies, and Kumbh Mela-driven deadlines are three faultlines of Nashik’s Godavari riverfront development, based on the Sabarmati model. The Namami Goda project worth Rs 2,800 crore has two phases—Phase I covers sewage treatment,…

Nuts, bolts, and budgets of riverfront development

Riverfront development has rapidly become a defining feature of cities across India, with projects underway in cities from Ahmedabad to Guwahati and Hyderabad and more. Framed as efforts to “revitalise” rivers, these projects have largely followed a standardised template, set…

People vs people: How to read protests and fissures

Protests have been happening but all protests are not equal; some seem more legitimate, have more impact, than others. Which people are allowed to raise their voice, whose voices are heard, which protesters influence policies are determined by the prevailing…

How India’s cities are making protests invisible

Across Indian cities, protests are being confined to designated sites with strict rules, making them easy to be ignored and disengaging protesters from the public as well as governments. In Delhi, Jantar Mantar is now the designated protest site –…

Why must trans people prove themselves to the
city, every day?

Despite the nation-wide protests against the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, it became the law. But protesters were also taking on public perception and prejudices about their identity. The law has intensified the oppressive conditions that trans…

Mumbai protests for ecology intensify but disconnected

Across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, people’s protests to protect mangroves, wetlands, forests, and other fragile ecosystems have multiplied as infrastructure projects gather momentum. Despite sustained efforts through demonstrations, legal action, and digital campaigns, authorities have largely gone ahead with projects,…

Determined voices continue to fight for rights, land, ecology

Against all odds, average Indians are pushing back against projects that threaten their livelihoods and environment, or raise their voice to demand rights and justice. Fisherfolk, Adivasis and farmers from Palghar intensified their protest against the proposed Vadhavan port, an…