Meltdown
Till a couple of decades ago Bangalore was a sleepy city -- running to the rhythm of old trading networks and retired people taking their evening …
Eyeing the coastlines
Further dilution of the rules safeguarding the Indian coastal ecosystem has just been proposed. Under the guise of providing land to poor …
Deep waters
Puducherry's plans for a new port have prompted unprecedented protests. Allegations of a huge land grab facilitated by procedural violations and …
Goa must grow...but how?
On January 26, 2007, the government of Goa withdrew its newest blueprint for the development of the state, called the Regional Plan 2011. …
How green is your building?
The building's green credentials have been recognised internationally, most notably by the us Green Business Council (usgbc). The Washington-…
Lavasa exposed
By its looks, the place could be mistaken for Portofino, a fishing village-cum-resort in Italy—multi-coloured buildings crowd a waterfront …
Not so safe cities – role of urban planning
This blog highlights that besides other factors that contribute to lack of safety in Indian Cities, a particular approach to urban planning and …
Night under a winter sky
As night falls in Delhi and mercury dips, Meeta Ahlawat ventures out with her camera to make a warm conversation with the homeless in the city. …
India's urban renewal plan goes wrong
The Centre's ambitious urban renewal plan has one basic flaw: in the name of public-private participation it tries to give greater agency to …
Slum voices
BOOK>> TRICKSTER CITY, WRITINGS FROM THE UNDERBELLY OF A METROPOLIS • translated by Shveta Sarda • Penguin • Rs 499
In a swelter over shelter
Besides highlighting some of the enduring concerns faced by today's urban planners, what else has the Istanbul 'city summit' -- Habitat II -- …
High on skyscrapers
Book>> Triumph of the city: How our greatest invention makes us richer, smarter, greener, healthier, and happier • by Edward Glaeser &…
Trapped in a quagmire
Pollution, disorderly urban growth and inadequate basic services are plaguing the Kathmandu valley and adversely affecting tourism, the valley's …
Fishers at bay
When it was introduced in 1991, Coastal Regulation Zone was a blanket notification to protect India's coast and fisherfolk. In 17 years, it was …
Embodied energy demystified
Building materials are much more energy-intensive than perceived. India lags in taking steps to reduce their use
Small towns Big mess
India's urban environment is a ghastly cocktail of prosperity, poverty and pollution. A study of eight towns moving towards the precipice of disaster
Fewer days for the slumdog
Book>> Welcome to the Urban Revolution, How Cities are Changing the World by Jeb Brugmann Harper Collins Price Rs 450
Give landscape its due
Ravindra Bhan is one of the country’s pioneer landscape architects. From establishing a programme in landscape architecture at the School …
Too cool for comfort
How rising incomes are lowering room temperatures at the cost of energy, health and comfort
Building dreams for homeless
Government promises land to the homeless in its draft Homestead Bill, but where’s the land?
Private project in public park
Residents of Vadodara protest construction of a multimedia laser fountain in a heritage park
Stressed city fathers
Book>> Costs and challenges of local urban services, evidence from India's cities by Kala Seetharam Sridhar and Om Prakash Mathur Price Rs 695
Lighting up hearts
A hospital for cardiac patients in Ahmedabad is sunlit to cheer up patients. It saves energy, too
Playing with sea
Flouting laws, over 90 hotels have mushroomed on what once was a pristine beach in West Bengal
Stepsons of the Ganga
A fascinating account of the men who ply the emblematic boats of Banaras and embody its very essence