Ecology - Question of Cities

Influencing change in cities through urban design interventions

Design holds incredible power to influence change in cities, address climate crises, break the prevailing order of exclusion, and renew nature-people relationship. In the re-envisioning of our cities, urban design must dismantle many walls in which it now exists, including…

How ecologically-sound is Kolkata’s New Town?

Designated a Platinum Rated Green City in 2020, New Town chalked out sustainable measures within the constraints of an already planned city and has attempted to implement them. To that extent, it could be a template for urban developments across…

‘I have a negative sense of the judiciary; conflicting orders are passed’

An important path to protect ecology and seek environmental justice has been through the courts where, in numerous cases, citizens and lawyers have turned crusaders for nature. The Supreme Court noted last April that the right to a healthy environment…

Bengaluru lakes: A trickle of renewal, a long way ahead

The restoration of lakes is at a crucial juncture. As the authorities announce plans to rejuvenate more of the nearly 300 lakes in the city, the experience of volunteer groups, individuals who have done the work so far, and the…

How people power reclaimed the Vishwamitri for Vadodara

From building a coalition against the Vishwamitri Riverfront Development Project to getting it scrapped – a rare success – people’s movements have interwoven passionate activism with law, science, and data. Their collective engagement and dogged sense of purpose made all…

‘The greatest threat to wetlands is, ironically,
government agencies’

In a landmark order in December 2024,[1] the Supreme Court directed every state to appoint its Wetland Authority, complete ground truthing, and notify wetlands to protect 2.3 lakh wetlands across India from landfilling and construction. In the absence of being…

The final straw: The plan that endangers Mumbai’s
National Park

The draft zonal master plan for the eco-sensitive zone of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park seeks not to protect the forest but to open parts of it for construction. In doing so, the plan ignores the web of life between…

A farce, a road map legitimising environmental destruction

It took the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation nine long years to prepare and release the draft zonal master plan for the eco-sensitive zone of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, thanks largely to sustained pressure and court battles by activists. Glaring omissions…

Walking the faultlines of a forest in the city

Amidst the chaos and cacophony of urban life in Mumbai and Thane, the lush green and quiet paths of the outer areas of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park offer a refuge and bring people close to nature. As the Brihanmumbai…

‘Crown jewel of Mumbai…cannot allow it to slip away’

Ankita Dhar Karmakar, Multimedia Journalist and Social Media in-charge in Question of Cities, has reported and written at the intersection of gender, cities, and human rights, among other themes. Her work has been featured in several digital publications, national and…