COVID-19: What it is to ‘work from home’ for women waste-pickers
Most housing units in Bhalaswa village have not been upgraded to support informal waste work. This impacts women’s productivity, …
Mud housing is the key
Mud's low cost and malleability makes it an ideal building material. But its use can be popularised only if such drawbacks as its …
Out in the cold
It is possible to design buildings that stay cool in summer and warm in winter and save energy. But interest in solar passive architecture …
Living problems
HOUSING THE URBAN POOR POLICY AND PRACTICE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Edited by Brian C Aldrich& Ravinder S Sandhu-Vistaar Vistaar Publications …
Sun city
Architectural features that eliminate artificial heating or cooling of a building are becoming de rigeur
Access to drinking water, power has improved in slum areas, says slum census report
63.5 per cent slum dwellers in Indian cities have mobile phone connections, but only 19 per cent have toilets
Why innovative cool roofing is becoming popular among Ahmedabad’s urban poor
The city’s residents strategically use shade, ventilation and building materials to keep their homes comfortable; and it does not cost the earth
What caused Morocco’s earthquake? A geologist studying the Atlas mountains explains
Steep slopes of the mountains and the straight lines where the Earth’s crust has cracked suggest that there has been recent movement in the …
Climate-related disasters leave behind trauma and worse mental health. Housing uncertainty is a major reason why
With natural disasters intensifying, governments must find ways to offer flexible housing support
Sinking cities: Two ways to fight land subsidence
Artificial recharge and deep soil mixing are two techniques showing promise in rescuing sinking cities
Divine dwellings
An organisation set up by priests provides inexpensive bamboo houses to people living in slums and on the streets
The Bulldozer in the Countryside
Imagine an assembly line construction of 17,000 homes on 3,500 acres of land costing US $135 million. Just on the borders of expanding cities. …
Built to last
A Rajasthan village has cylindrical houses that help people cope with extreme weather events
Stumbling blocks
The Gujarat earthquake struck at the very foundation of urban India. The disaster highlighted the haphazard manner in which the country's towns …
Book Excerpt: Fractured Rehabilitation
Journalist Atul Deulgaonkar's new book in Marathi describes the botched rehabilitation efforts in the aftermath of the Latur-Osmanabad Earthquake …
New agenda for Africa’s sustainable urbanisation to be adopted at UN meet in Quito
Weak planning of urbanisation is resulting in lost opportunities for growth and transformation for Africa
Fix housing and you’ll reduce risks of coronavirus and other disease in remote Indigenous communities
Indigenous Australians living on remote country urgently need additional and functional housing
Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (December 6, 2022)
Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal
Freebie critics should look at welfare schemes’ transformative abilities to change lives
A large number of people can reap benefits of such schemes if the delivery system is improved and gaps in implementation are plugged
Takeaways from President Pranab Mukherjee's opening speech during budget session
In his speech, the President gave emphasis on financial inclusion, development schemes and women power
Government’s new housing scheme for urban poor leaves vital questions unanswered
According to an unofficial estimate, there is a shortage of more than 40 million dwelling units, with the demand growing at 10 per cent per annum
Building up a dangerous trend
Last October's earthquake destroyed 20 per cent of Uttarkashi's houses. When the rubble had settled, it was found that the older, traditional …
Turkey and Syria earthquake: Long-term funding is needed to support search-and-rescue after major disasters
Until having an effective earthquake early warning, we need to rely on building codes and urban and physical planning
Bad habits drive health risks among Kenya's urban poor
Poverty and stress is prevalent in Kenya’s low-income settings which increases the behavioural risk factors for cardiovascular diseases
High on skyscrapers
Book>> Triumph of the city: How our greatest invention makes us richer, smarter, greener, healthier, and happier • by Edward Glaeser &…