Right to the City - Question of Cities

The best of QoC 2023

As 2023 comes to a close, it is customary to compile year-end lists of the work done throughout the year. At Question of Cities, we join the bandwagon not as an exercise in self-congratulation but more as a reflection of…

Delhi’s double whammy of heat and polluted air demands review of Heat Action Plan

If air pollution is hazardous and deadly for people, then poor quality air combined with high temperatures is worse, as seen in…

Ignoring the right to shelter keeps Dhaka’s poor cornered

Severely affected by climate change in their homes, between a thousand and 2,000 people migrate to Dhaka every day in search of…

Vulnerabilities of informal settlers continue to exacerbate amid policy conundrum

Kathmandu’s squatter settlements have grown four-fold from 1985 to 2022, and they continue to expand. Mostly migrants, the squatters lack legal tenure…

As climate-related ailments worsen, Dhaka hospitals fail to serve the poor

Bangladesh recorded its worst outbreak of dengue this year, highlighting its crumbling and inadequate healthcare. The poor have been the worst affected…

Rethink Guwahati’s building bye-laws for net-zero carbon future

As Assam’s largest city Guwahati urbanises rapidly, emissions have increased. Rising temperatures and extreme rainfall triggered by Climate Change have worsened the…

Addressing water inequity in Dhulikhel is critical for environmental justice

The water security in Dhulikhel, a thriving mid-hill town 24 kilometres from Kathmandu, is determined by the interplay of history, geography, caste…

How the lack of rights worsens climate events for Delhi’s informal workers

As climate-related weather events scorch, flood and chill New Delhi, its informal workers, an estimated 80 percent of its workforce, are left grappling with myriad challenges of living in a city that would not function if not for their labour.…

Pakistan’s women struggle to make voices heard in Climate Change conversations

The impact of climate-induced catastrophes doubles in Pakistani women as they are left out of the decision-making policies. Heat waves and floods…

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…