Sukhomajri's failing development model

A model Haryana village, which had pulled itself out of poverty by managing natural resources, shuns the very model of development

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

Elephanta Island gets too much development too fast

Getting power supply could have shaped the island’s future, but now the recent CRZ notification has put its existence at risk

India is moving at jet speed, people should be able to move too

1 in 4 men and every second woman in India are physically inactive; can Indian construct cities which are creators of health, environment and equity?

In Telangana’s Badanpet, a dumpsite turns into a rock garden, nursery

As of now, this nursery is self-reliant in supplying saplings for horticultural purposes, park development, road median development, greening and …

Cities will be too hot to live in future, says new UNEP report

There is a need for a strategic, whole-system approach that realises sustainable urban cooling or rather sustainable urban comfort

Building norms bent for better ease of doing business rankings

The latest notification has eased green norms for builders to facilitate urban development

West By Far East

In the rush for economic growth, China ignored its environment. Now it faces a nightmare. The country is one of the most polluted in the world.

Cleansing chronicle

THE SANITARY CITY: URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE FROM COLONIAL TIMES TO THE PRESENT·Martin V Melosi·John Hopkins University Press·Year&…

What India should look like in 2100

A new anthology touches upon most facets of Indian society, but leaves the reader feeling like the proverbial blind man who describes an elephant …

More dreams sans cars

From a loose concept to a concrete movement, the idea of the car-free city has evolved gradually

A congestion plan in the name of decongesting Delhi

Urban development ministry’s expert panel report on how to decongest Delhi pays only lip service to improving public transport and …

Owning the road

Cities without cars, pollution and traffic. A movement is spreading across Europe to drive cars out. People are beginning to say no to cars

Development handcuffed

Confidential audit exposes financial, planning lapses in Andhra’s urban renewal mission

Budget 2023-24: What can it offer for the development of Indian cities?

Strengthening urban local bodies & capacities of citizens, communities key for sustainable development of Indian cities

Recommendations on solid waste management: How govt action falls short

The standing committee on urban development made 37 recommendations, 14 of which were accepted by the Union government

Garbage gets attention

India is revising the way it manages solid waste. A manual for this, prepared by the urban development ministry, proposes providing legal …

Revision in Delhi’s parking rates is a positive step

This measure must be combined with other steps to address the problem of the increasing number of private vehicles

Rajasthan to ease rules for urbanising agricultural land

Activists say new provision in land revenue Act protects neither farmers nor agriculture

Can COVID-19 pandemic help India foster rural livelihoods and build resilient villages?

The shift of balance created by COVID-19 has revealed that urban centres, while important, need not be the sole creator of jobs or economic …

India does need toilets more than temples

Modi’s toilet remark has sparked a political row, but no one is paying attention to India’s sanitation challenge

Urban form and travel to completely change after COVID-19

Central business districts will decline while larger apartments will be in demand as more firms consider making employees work-from-home, a …

Unreal in pampered India

With NDMC winning the smart city challenge, the contrast between where the government lives and where the rest of the citizens live could not …

Swachh Bharat Mission misses out on sludge management

Official representing India at third international faecal sludge management conference fails to provide satisfactory answer

Only 22 housing projects for poor completed under JNNURM, says CAG

Comptroller and Auditor General raps urban development and housing ministries for failing to bring about urban governance reforms