Commons: Local bodies must take lead

There is a pronounced lacuna in the governance and regulations of urban commons

Manoj Roy on housing for poor in Dhaka

Manoj Roy teaches sustainability science at Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University. He talks about how Dhaka is going through a …

Repeal of Maharasthra land ceiling act not enough to solve urban crisis

High time to move away from the master plan approach for Indian cities

Initiatives such as GIS-based master & development plans for 500 AMRUT cities are encouraging but we are still far behind

Urbanisation to cause huge loss of prime farmland: UNCCD

Between 1.6 and 3.3 million hectares of such land could be lost by 2030, estimates the United Nations Convention to combat Desertification report

Developed, urbanised districts have high HIV prevalence: Study

The research finds that there’s high prevalence of HIV in 63 districts in south and north-east regions of the country

Simply put: Land acquisition

World lost 87 per cent wetlands in 300 years

Rapid urban expansion one of the major reasons behind land degradation, says a global report

Road to cool cities: Codes based on unique ‘urban form’ can be helpful

Urban India is a heat trap, but road orientation, building materials and zone-specific master plans can drastically enhance thermal comfort

Tea garden workers celebrate Dehradun’s failure to make it to smart cities list

City residents say the smart city is proposed in an area with tea gardens which are home to rich biodiversity

The problem with India’s spatial planning: Experts write to PM

Land use planning receives little attention in India, leading to urban sprawl, overcrowding, pollution, traffic congestion, urban flooding

Urban commons: Almost ignored in city planning

Commons act as a nutritional buffer, safety net for migrants; middle-class, wealthy residents no less dependent

Jostling for jhuggi land

The Shakur Basti eviction drive calls for a thorough review of the railways’ mandate, politics of urban land and housing of urban poor

Kenya’s devastating floods expose decades of poor urban planning and bad land management

The impact of floods has become more severe due to land degradation, human pressures & over-extraction of groundwater

Rewind 2018: The land debate

Land is finite and always a contested issue. We bring you the key developments in the sector that is in the middle of infrastructure development …

Point of No Agri-returns Part 7: India diverts 10 million hectares of productive agri-lands, replaces them with barren lands for cultivation

Government report terms this as the 'often overlooked' aspect of the agrarian crisis in the country

Slums and the story of India's housing crisis

The rate at which informal housing is being destroyed probably far exceeds the rate at which formal housing is being constructed

Goa regional plan has public up in arms

Urban children in slums more vulnerable to health risks, says report

Centres that host most of these vulnerable kids need immediate attention

Reclaiming urban spaces critical for democracy

Maharashtra repeals Urban Land Ceiling Act

Healthy diet means a healthy planet? Not always, says study

Massive amounts of agricultural resources are mobilised to support current diet patterns, including non-renewable energy, fertiliser nutrients, …

'37% of natural springs, which contribute directly to the Ganga, are drying up'

Increasing instances of extreme rainfall are slowly leading to the crumbling of the Ganga's catchment area, says P C Tiwari, professor of …

Indian cities no longer cooling down at night, finds CSE study

Heat waves are becoming deadlier due to a combination of rising temperatures, increasing humidity & urban expansion

Desertification in India: Mining monstrous for Goa, but urbanisation digs a bigger hole

Lack of planning has potential of becoming the biggest degrader of land in Goa