Archives - Question of Cities

Fault lines beneath the Himalayan green: Caste, codes, disappearing wisdom

In Shimla, Kullu, Joshimath, disaster is less a surprise than the consequence of “development.” An estimated one lakh hectares of farmland in Uttarakhand have slipped from villagers to land speculation and construction in 20 years. Patchwork code enforcement, caste inequity,…

When high-rises occupy Mumbai’s salt pans, where will the water go?

Often forgotten as a crucial part of the city’s estuary formation, Mumbai’s salt pan lands are under threat. Nearly 256 acres were sanctioned earlier this year to house people displaced by the Dharavi Redevelopment Project. Although notified as wetlands, the…

Jaipur must urgently save Dol ka Badh forest – and itself

Dol ka Badh, a crucial green space and buffer zone in the Pink City, which sees high temperatures, is under threat. With the land earmarked for infrastructure and commercial projects worth Rs 3,700-crore, including the PM Unity Mall, a fintech…

Who owns the city’s ecology? Lessons from Amita Baviskar’s Uncivil City

As Delhi’s air turns foul, reading or revisiting Uncivil City: Ecology, Equity and the Commons in Delhi is timely. It not only makes sense of the city’s unfolding environmental crises but asks who gets to belong in the city. “Bourgeois…

Kashmir’s rivers run dry: How mining threatens farmers
and ecosystems

Mining has stripped Kashmir’s riverbeds, eroding groundwater recharge, drying springs, shrinking trout habitats, and endangering the fragile Himalayan ecosystems. As extraction from rivers and streams continues unchecked, springs have dried and entire communities are losing dependable water. Sand and mineral…

‘Ecology is a city’s natural buffer. We don’t see its tipping point, its warning.’

As large swathes of natural ecology in our cities are sacrificed for development and construction, not only do we lose the trees and rivers and lakes, but also the imagination of cities defined by its natural elements. Land use does…

The Himalayan disasters point to reckless construction, not merely climate change

As Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab struggle to recover from the widespread devastation this monsoon, it is futile to only blame climate change. The ground situation and studies point to reckless construction – even over-construction – in the…

Dehradun: Infrastructure development or the
ghost of greed?

The aggressive push for infrastructure projects – specifically the Char Dham Yatra road, Dehradun’s airport expansion, and an elevated corridor to Mussoorie – threaten the fragile ecology of the Himalayan region. Despite studies advising caution, the government pushes ahead with…

Will nature send an invoice to booming Goa?

Eco-sensitive zones, private forests, paddy fields, orchards, natural greens, sacred groves, khazan lands, kulaghars, plateaus – all of Goa’s undulating land and rich ecology have been under assault for ‘development’. Almost every village has land deals and land conversions aided…

Why are we pushed into unsustainable high-density living?

While not negating the benefits of density such as higher productivity, shorter commutes, and lower carbon footprint, the downsides of the high density approach have rarely been critically examined. Among them are how the high density doctrine has been weaponised…