Maitreyee Rele

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…

Drain the rain: Why urban India floods, how to build sponge cities

Urban floods have become an inseparable part of city life every monsoon. Lives are lost, livelihoods are disrupted, and property and infrastructure worth thousands of crores are damaged or destroyed. With the increasing challenges that Climate Change has brought and…

The life and times of Jane Jacobs, the urban activist who revitalised city planning

Jane Jacobs and her community-based ideas of urban planning snowballed into a movement as her influence spread. The urbanist and activist single-handedly transformed city-making and fought for a healthy, vibrant city. A series of engaging illustrations charts the life, times…

The story of India’s scorched cities in four maps

Why India’s cities need to prepare and implement Heat Action Plans is evident in the maps which clearly show the rising frequency of heat waves and higher summer-like temperatures before the season sets in. From an average of 7.4 days…

Urban landscape changes as stories, talents emerge from Mumbai’s lesser-known public spaces

The Govandi Arts Festival was an event of many firsts. It brought together communities and people who shared one platform, but many messages. The youth, who had disconnected themselves with the area, found hope when their talents were appreciated. This…

Climate disasters are connected to the way our cities are planned

Drain the rain: Why urban India floods, how to build sponge cities

The life and times of Jane Jacobs, the urban activist who revitalised city planning

The story of India’s scorched cities in four maps

Urban landscape changes as stories, talents emerge from Mumbai’s lesser-known public spaces

‘I need to provide for my family, the air doesn’t matter’

Right to clean air: Stop the smog

Delhi’s direct line from air pollution to disease