Commons

Rapid urbanisation in India has claimed one major casualty – destruction of existing green cover in cities to make way for development and other projects. But with the growing realisation that a good quality of life means not just conserving, but also adding to the city’s green cover, and citizens pushing for the same, urban authorities in Ahmedabad, as in some other cities, are experimenting with ways of creating small green areas in an ever-expanding concrete urban landscape. One method, much touted of late, is that of Miyawaki forests. Developed by Japanese botanist and plant ecologist Akira Miyawaki, and named…

If you’ve lived long enough in Mumbai or even if you’ve just arrived, it won’t be long before you start feeling a clawing need for space. Think shoulder to shoulder travel in the Mumbai locals, which carry 7.5 million commuters every day, a number dangerously beyond its capacity. In 2014, Mumbai was ranked sixth on the list of the world’s most populous cities. It is predicted to become the fourth largest by 2030 with a population of 28 million. Yet people can’t seem to get enough of Mumbai. There is a constant influx of migrants looking for gainful employment. A…

A common sight in many Indian cities are decrepit or waste-laden canals that were once integral to the local economy. Cities have grappled with the mammoth task of cleaning and restoration of such canals with limited success. Often people who have made a life on the banks and margins become collateral damage to these efforts. Now Alappuzha in Kerala could pave the way for an alternative. The Canalpy Project A model canal-restoration project, Canalpy, is taking shape in the backwaters of Alappuzha. Funded by the Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA), the effort is supported by Cochin University College of…

At a time when cities across India are rapidly losing green cover, Naya Raipur, the administrative capital of Chhattisgarh, stands out in its endeavour to ensure that the city has adequate greenery. The Naya Raipur Development Authority (NRDA) was established with the aim of creating a greenfield city with parks, botanical garden and a jungle safari. Naya Raipur's greening efforts aim to make it a model city with the target of 27% green cover under the Harihar Chhattisgarh mission. The 25-year development plan for the city envisions a 500-meter wide green belt of an area of 15.09 square kilometers surrounding the…

Arshel Akhter, the newly-elected Bicycle Mayor of Guwahati, discovered his love for cycling as he explored his city on two wheels. Along with a healthy lifestyle, the software developer-turned-banker-turned-stocks investor found that with cycling came a supportive and active community of enthusiasts from across all professions and ages. Now his mission is to expand this community to include not just hobbyists but people across all walks of life as he works to invigorate cycling in his city. Arshel envisages a future where the coming generation will readily take to cycling without any apprehensions that prevail currently. “We need more cycling…

It’s July now and the temperature is slowly dipping in Delhi. Only a few migratory birds wintered at the Yamuna biodiversity park remain. Others have left for Central Asia and Siberia. Some species of summer terrestrial migrants are expected to arrive while some others can be seen enjoying the park’s wetlands. “Red-crested pochard, a magnificent bird with a red head and an orange beak, has left,” says Sameer Gautam, an education officer at the park and an avid ornithologist. “The arrival of this bird after a gap of over 15 years was a great feat and is indicative of how…

Mumbai, a city that grew along the railway tracks is now a city that has surrendered to the lure of cars. With this habit came the need for more roads and flyovers to make space for the city’s cars and parking space for them. One of the many consequences of this trend has been the surrender of open spaces, footpaths and places where children used to play. But adults in the city haven’t managed to destroy childhood. Not yet. It’s unsafe, but children will play in available space and we can ignore them at our own peril. These photos tell…

When was the last time that you took your children to a public park, where they found other children to play with and a chance to engage in fun activities and learning experiences? When was it that your neighbourhood park was filled with the babble of children and their collective excitement and energy as they took part in events targeted at them in particular? As India urbanises, the open spaces in cities shrink, the people get busier and increasingly caught up in their frenetic lifestyles and the few parks that do exist become dull spaces, used occasionally by the early…