Urbanisation - Question of Cities

How cities subtly changed the flavour of festivals

People in cities celebrate their traditional cultural festivals - with a difference. As city living becomes more demanding and public spaces shrink, festival rituals are adapted. Festival celebrations, altered to suit modern urban living but retaining some rituals that people…

The neoliberal state and the environmental cost of Neopolis

That Hyderabad’s urban planning trajectory is informed by neoliberal logic is evident in the new sub-city Neopolis. This approach sees the urban environment purely through an economic lens which severely affects the natural infrastructure of the place. Despite the government’s…

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 – they live in areas with compromised sanitation which worsens the vector-borne disease but the cost of treatment…

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 scenario, underscoring the need for energy-saving practices and making greener buildings. The approach to construction and the materials…

Streets are sutradhars of people’s lives, first units of neighbourhoods

Streets, as living and meeting spaces for people, are more than roads. Street-based neighbourhoods reflect social cohesion and inclusiveness in cities but streets are being transformed into roads where people’s presence matters the least. Shop-fronted roads, built for consumptive economy…

Matharpacady: Redevelopment wriggles its way into a heritage precinct

Amid the titled and colourful bungalows in Matharpacady in south Mumbai, patches of redevelopment stick out like sore thumbs. Steeped in heritage and history, the gaothan has about 300 residents living in its 50 to 55 houses. Most residents are…

Nepal’s Melamchi, still recovering from 2021 flood, shows multiple risks of rapid urbanisation

Melamchi, 76 kilometres from Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, was bouncing back from the massive 2015 earthquake when the flood in 2021 brought further devastation. The ravaging flood also severely damaged its ambitious water supply project which had taken nearly three decades…

‘We are scared that the polluted Mithi might flood again’

As Mumbai’s most prominent river and natural drainage channel, the Mithi has mostly been struggling to flow despite the restoration work after the destructive 2005 floods. The pollution, concretisation and encroachment that led to Mithi’s pathetic state have also impacted…

India’s urban housing crisis: Chasing the affordable dream

Cities in India are centres of commercial activity and infrastructure development. The urban poor, often employed as informal labour, live in informal settlements because they cannot afford houses in cities. With the urban population set to increase, the shortage of…

Bengal’s cities face ‘extreme danger’ as they turn heat wave hotspots

Kolkata and Asansol, the former with its proximity to the sea and the latter located near the lower fringes of the Chhota Nagpur plateau, experienced sudden and intense heat this year. Both the cities in West Bengal have expanded in…