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 “...the…

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…

Millions are protesting but boycotts are key to change policies

Despite the large numbers who marched at the “No Kings” marches in 2025, research indicates that massive turnouts may not be enough to achieve the goals of a protest movement while boycotts are effective. The “No Kings” movement objected to…

Halla bol: Why protests are intrinsic to city-making

Resistance and protests are increasingly framed as undesirable, even anti-national. Yet, they have always defined the character of cities. Protests seem to be thinning out in cities across India but it may have more to do with how the governments,…

Mumbai-Thane on ecology
protection march

Across Mumbai and Thane, individuals and groups have been coming together to resist ecological damage by the authorities in the name of development. Undeterred by governments and the courts, they have been fighting in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai against projects…

New battle in Panipat as refinery workers rise

Nearly 30,000 workers of the Indian Oil Corporation Limited refinery in Panipat, among India’s largest refineries, went on a sit-in protest in February. They demanded the global standard of an 8-hour shift, salary payments on time, accountability from the company…