Archives - Question of Cities

Resistance, confrontation,
anti-extractivist struggles in the Global South

Rising heat waves, illegal mining, degradation of water bodies and depletion of trees are increasing across the world, especially in countries of the Global South where most of the world’s vulnerable population lives. Environmentalism in these countries, or among vulnerable…

Fighting erosion, climate change in the Sundarbans

The people of the Sundarbans show how they are the force of resilience, battling cyclones, and disrupted livelihoods. Adopting nature-based solutions, they use vetiver as a powerful natural tool to combat soil erosion and understand that protecting the streambanks from…

Mainstreaming green buildings in climate era

More than two decades later, certified green or sustainable buildings account for just over five percent of the constructed stock in India. While the two rating systems, the Indian Green Building Council and Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment, have…

‘The battle is formidable (but) governments are unwilling to push initiatives’

What was triggered off as an idea in the early 2000s with the Green Business Centre in Hyderabad became the green building movement in India’s cities but it is nowhere as widespread as it should have been because neither the…

Moving towards sustainable goals brick by brick

The green building movement has been gaining momentum in India with governments doling out incentives. A recent report ranks India third in the world for certified green buildings. However, outdated bye-laws of urban local bodies and the lack of awareness…

Towards making green buildings a reality in India

Sustainability in the construction sector, especially green buildings, should not be an afterthought but a fundamental component of building design itself. Pointing to tangible and intangible benefits for all stakeholders, the green building rating system brought out guidelines, further leveraged…

Countries set green examples in buildings

The effects of climate change are visible in all cities across the world. Tackling this through green solutions means buildings that integrate energy-efficient measures to improve energy performance, sustainable water management, and recycle and minimise waste. That more countries and…

Margins to mainstream: Ambojwadi shows the way to climate vulnerability mapping

Among the most marginalised of informal settlements in Mumbai, Ambojwadi is a picture of climate crisis where heat stress and flooding exacerbate the lack of basic amenities. The ground realities and lived experiences of residents here, as of millions in…

Research: How local communities can assert voice in mapping

Marginalised urban communities bear disproportionate impacts of climate change with heat stress, floods and so on, but they are hardly consulted in the formal climate action plans. Community-led climate mapping and action can actively shape local understanding of climate change…

Singareni Colony’s story of localised climate mapping

Neighbourhoods in cities are distinctively shaped by terrain, built environment, typologies, social dynamics, politics, and historical and spatial contexts. As a result, climate change vulnerability greatly varies across neighbourhoods. Even within a neighbourhood, some people and dwellings are exposed to…