Archives - Question of Cities

Saavan ka kya thikana? Bollywood rain songs fade out

For decades, mainstream Hindi cinema romanced the rain with songs. From the quintessential Pyar hua ikraar hua and semi-classical Barkha bahar aaye to numbers with coy heroines, suggestive frames, the mischief of Kishore Kumar in Ek Ladki Bheegi Bhaagi si,…

From monsoon magic to mayhem and what cities can do about it

There was a time when the monsoon brought a lot of joy and exhilaration in cities. The season was a part of the rhythm of life and monsoon troubles were fewer before it evoked that sinking feeling, anxiety, and, for…

Monsoon walks
reintroduce cities to people
in refreshing ways

Walking is the best way to look at precincts, localities and neighbourhoods in cities from a different perspective. In the monsoon, walking to discover different dimensions about places takes on an added hue, giving people new ways to ‘see’ cities.…

Why India’s cities are not prepared for extreme heat and high rainfall

Searing heat scorched northern India, including Delhi, before rains hit hard. Flooding threw life out of gear in Pune, Bengaluru, Itanagar among other cities through June. Hundreds lost their lives. Cities were ill-equipped to address these extreme weather events whose…

Climate disasters are connected to the way our cities are planned

Cities have completely ignored their natural areas. If mapped and made available on a public database, people can be empowered with the knowledge about them and can decide to protect them. Mapping a city’s ecology can radically change the way…

Trees and urban forests under attack in cities – and what to do about it

This summer saw temperatures across the country, especially in northern states, soar well beyond 40 degrees Celsius. Even cooler hill stations sweated through summer. The searing intense heat has a message – do not cut trees. But, unfortunately, lakhs of…

Plastic chokes drains but bans are not enough

India’s ban on plastic in 2022 was to restrict the manufacture, distribution, stocking, sale and use of 19 single-use plastic items. An impractical approach and flawed implementation has resulted in hordes of plastic waste which chokes stormwater drains, washes up…

1.5 degrees Celsius lifestyles and the city

For cities, addressing the lifestyle choices of their inhabitants is not merely a luxury but an imperative. By framing 1.5C lifestyles in appealing and attractive ways, cities can drive significant changes towards fostering a transformative future. Supporting urban garden initiatives…

Linear parks hold power to transform cities and be climate warriors

The simple but powerful idea of creating long stretches of parks along physical infrastructure and natural areas can transform a city by making it more green, creating accessible open spaces, reconnecting nature and people, and reducing heat and floods. Cities…

See the frayed symbiosis between Mumbai and its shrinking forests

The Adivasis living in Mumbai’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) and Aarey Forest, given their deep relationship with the natural forest, struggle to make sense of the intruding city. Natural resources such as water are no longer theirs by right…