A city is not about all that crashes and crumbles. A city is what people make it. This was perhaps the most important among the many lessons learnt by this citizen on the day that Mumbai went under water.
Across India, a number of state as well as non-governmental initiatives are providing low-cost or free meals to the unemployed, the daily wage earner, migrant labour and other sections of the urban poor. How do these function and do they really help the cause?
At a time when narratives of mistrust, exclusion and discrimination in our cities are all too common, the author finds an urban street festival across the globe that explicitly encourages intermingling of its diverse citizens, prompting each to know more about ‘the other’.
A new study by the Housing and Land Rights Network (HRLN) finds the government scheme seriously lacking in inclusivity and social justice. Patralekha Chatterjee reports.
A riot by domestic workers, protests against gender violence or movements against patriarchal limits are all sporadic but increasing signs of resentment against the feudal codes of conduct that still dominate our cities.
There are problems galore plaguing our cities, towns and villages but they can be solved by collective action of a responsible citizenry, if only every one commits just three hours a week, says Naresh Sadasivan.
Is it possible to ‘pool land’, share it as a common resource and build an entire city on this ideal imagination? Divya Dua looks at the Amaravati model and what it has to offer.
From AMRUT to Swachh Bharat to Smart Cities, the wide range of schemes in place reflect the government’s thrust on urban development. But how will these schemes be financed? Here’s a primer on the options available and some recent policies meant to help cities improve their finances.
TAGE, a brainchild of Nishant Panicker and Aniruddah Vorunganti, has helped pair up schools such that students of one can help make notebooks out of unused paper for those of the other. Their vision for the future is even loftier.
For aware and socially conscious citizens, who wish to right the wrongs they see around them everyday through legal intervention, the PIL is an important tool. Here’s a quick FAQ to help them along the way.
Shrinking land availability, pollution of water sources and the general indifference of urban governments are increasingly leading to a gradual extinction of urban farming and farmers. What could it mean for us?
As Delhi grapples with the ills of acute environmental degradation, the redeveloped ecosystem of the Yamuna biodiversity park could indeed be a saviour.
Do you really belong in the city where you live? What makes one a true Bengalurean, or a true Mumbaikar? In a journey across global cities, Jahnavi Jayanth finds that often the attitudes and factors that thwart inclusiveness are innate and similar.
Cabinet-approved amendments to the AMASR Act of 1958 allow construction for ‘public works’ even within the prohibited buffer zone around nationally protected monuments, posing a real threat to these heritage structures.
