QoC Editorial - Question of Cities

Big bold ideas that can change public or affordable housing in our cities

India’s urban housing crisis is well-known. Millions live in slums and jhuggis. The housing paradox in Mumbai and Delhi, now increasingly seen in other cities too, means there is a high shortage of affordable homes and a glut of high-priced…

Wayanad’s lessons on how not to manufacture ecological disasters

The 572-millimetres rain in two days triggering massive landslides in Wayanad shook the nation. Beyond the rising death toll and large-scale devastation is the question being asked of authorities in Kerala as well as across India’s hills, cities and towns…

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…

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…

Urgent heat conversations and actions we need in India to cool down cities

As millions of Indians struggle through an relentlessly scorching summer with never-before high temperatures, Heat Action Plans have become critical to people’s lives and livelihoods. Although states and cities have prepared plans – and some have fitfully implemented them –…

Reading the Supreme Court judgment on the Right to Life and climate change

In a judgment that flew below the radar, the Supreme Court of India brought the impact of climate change into sharp focus. The case was about the Great Indian Bustard but the apex court articulated a powerful idea in the…

India’s missing pavements, thanks to car-centric planning and official apathy

Life happens on pavements or footpaths in cities across India. A mind-boggling number of people walk to work or for leisure every day and the informal economy of hawkers and service providers supports millions. Yet, pavements are either absent on…

Festivals in cities, beyond celebrations, shape public place and identity

Cities are theatres of celebration of different kinds of festivals, from the traditional and religious to the contemporary and cultural. People congregate and celebrate, but the story of festivals in cities does not end there. Festivals help to shape –…

How redevelopment ruined Mumbai’s housing and marred the landscape

Three decades after redevelopment of slums and old buildings took off in Mumbai, in the first flush of liberalisation, the percentage of people in slums is nearly twice that it was in 1991, and the old buildings and chawls have…

Dharavi makeover: Public loss, private gain in this mother of all redevelopment projects

Among the largest informal settlements in the world, Dharavi in Mumbai, is finally set to undergo redevelopment. Aptly called an informal city within a city, the vibrant settlement, though lacking in basic amenities, is home to nearly a million people…