Cities - Question of Cities

Reading cities through stories, writers and lenses

Cities unravel layers in their books through trivia, history, lived experiences captured in books, monographs and other pages. The written word matters even in this digitally-driven age and books bring alive people of a city, its streets and neighbourhoods, hidden…

Community filmmakers tell lesser-known stories of
their cities

Cities are often spoken about through master plans, metrics and futures imagined top down. Often lost in these are how people live every day, adapt and adjust, resist and remake their city. The arts and films are ways to capture…

‘Aesthetics not an after-thought or beautification, it’s harmony of city spaces and environment’

Cities become beautiful not only because of the quality of architecture but how it intermingles with nature, other life forms, and visual expressions of different communities. Advanced engineering and technology seen in flyovers, underpasses, and skyscrapers do not regard the…

Minnesota park: An example of building public spaces for diverse communities

Phalen Park in St. Paul, Minnesota, is a model for inclusiveness and social interaction among diverse urban communities, adding to the city’s liveability. The verdant green 494-acre park, three times the size of Disneyland, is used for public events, festivals,…

Cities must reclaim urban land as a collective good beyond private accumulation

Real estate is now the major mode of capital accumulation in our cities. The planning system is expertly manipulated to ensure the profitability of the real estate sector so that if property developers do not get enough, the city gets…

India’s urbanisation must not, cannot, leave behind her urban poor

People migrate to cities for work but most Indian cities lack housing, water and sanitation, employment opportunities, and basic services such as health care and education to accommodate and meet the needs of migrants. Although the middle class and the…

Reading cities through stories, writers and lenses

Community filmmakers tell lesser-known stories of their cities

‘Aesthetics not an after-thought or beautification, it’s harmony of city spaces and environment’

Minnesota park: An example of building public spaces for diverse communities

Cities must reclaim urban land as a collective good beyond private accumulation

India’s urbanisation must not, cannot, leave behind her urban poor

Community filmmakers tell lesser-known stories of
their cities