Articles by Samruddhi Patil

Samruddhi Patil is an Architect and Urban Designer with expertise in climate-responsive design and sustainable urban strategies. She has collaborated with the Goa Municipal Council on flood risk mitigation projects and conducted in-depth research on the Urban Heat Island effect. Her experience includes urban mapping, GIS analysis, and integrating resilience-based planning into city development, with a strong focus on creating environmentally sensitive and socially inclusive urban spaces.

Rising temperatures, shrinking green cover: Urban heat crisis in Mumbai’s P/North Ward

by , , , and September 4, 2025

Mumbai's P/North Ward is a climate paradox. On a map, it looks green, boasting significant cover from the Sanjay Gandhi National Park to the east and vital mangroves to the west. Yet, the reality on the ground for its nearly one million residents is one of scorching heat. The surfaces people walk and live on have heated dramatically, with land surface temperatures soaring by over 5°C in much of this ward between 2015 and 2024. The reason is a familiar story of urban expansion: rapid, unplanned growth has replaced cooling ecosystems with a dense fabric of concrete, tin, and asphalt,…

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