Archives - Question of Cities

Why we should worry about the narrative of development

Mumbai voted to send 227 corporators to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation but the election campaign did not pivot on governance. Instead, it was all about delivering development. This, in recent years, means gleaming high-rises as the city’s totems, exclusive gated…

Bengaluru: A step forward or two steps backslide in urban governance?

Amid opposition, Bengaluru’s municipal corporation was split into five, ostensibly to improve service delivery and expedite development. However, significant city-making powers – planning, executing development projects, controlling finance – lie with their command centre, the Greater Bengaluru Authority, ruled by…

Split or reunified, Delhi’s municipal corporation has poor governance, low finances

Urban governance in the national capital has been through different formats, explains multimedia journalist Ankita Dhar Karmakar. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi was split into three in 2011, on the basis of reports, to decentralise and facilitate development. But the…

‘Without money, municipal bodies cannot fulfil their role or deliver the mandate given to them’

The elections to 29 municipal corporations and other urban local bodies in Maharashtra as well as discussions about elections in Bengaluru, Delhi and other cities focus on ‘development’ and skirt around the issue of municipal finance. Delivery of electoral promises…

Mumbai Metropolitan Region: The facts and figures after elections

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) has raised curiosity after the Navi Mumbai International Airport became functional and ‘Third Mumbai’ was planned. The MMR comprises nine municipal corporations including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. This Fact Sheet explains the location of each…

QoC salutes Dr Madhav Gadgil

Among the strongest advocates for the conservation of the Western Ghats, Dr Madhav Gadgil, who passed away on January 7, left behind a huge ecological legacy. A celebrated scientist, ecologist, and scholar, Dr Gadgil embodied the idea and belief that…

The Aravallis at the crossroads: Facts, fallout, and the fight

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Following the arc from the Aravallis to Delhi’s air

The need of the hour is to recognise Delhi’s rising air pollution from an integrated ecological perspective. Indeed, various anti-pollution measures of the past years must continue – and be implemented more seriously – but the acute crisis demands more.…

They fight so that the Aravallis can stand tall

Sheer passion, deep commitment to their land, and raw anger at the daylight robbery of the hills they have called home forever have driven scores of people to gather in small and large numbers across the Aravalli hills and range…

Saving the Aravallis with songs, poems and art

People, including professional artists, have been using every medium at their disposal to draw attention to the Aravallis. While locals across Rajasthan and Haryana have taken to songs, poems, and art works to protect their beloved hills, activists in Delhi,…