Small towns do not degrade the rural environment
Auroville, or 'the city of dawn', is a unique township located in a predominantly rural district of Villupuram in Tamil Nadu. At the time of its …
Singapore: Breathing Easy
It's all about taming traffic: keeping a tab on the number of vehicles on the road, and promoting public transport. Singapore, one of the …
Clear as air
The grim picture of a lung scarred by pollution is of no shock value today. An ailing populace continues to throw up a phlegm of protests. To …
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. …
On foot and pedal
The teeming millions on foot and pedal are powering mobility in Indian cities. Their numbers exceed those who use cars. Yet they are victims of …
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 …
Why we should place pedestrians first to create better cities
Apart from pedestrian infrastructure being equitable, continuous, shaded and comfortable, the discourse on pedestrianisation needs to be about …
No ambiguity on need for better urban planning
We need to operationalise policy on the assumption that increased frequency of extreme weather events and deepening impacts are the new baseline
Will Indian cities again drown this monsoon?
Even moderate rainfall can lead to major flooding in well-planned urban areas despite the presence of storm water drainage system
Creative conundrum
Technology alone won't deliver smart cities. That would require innovative design and creativity in solving problems
Green salute
Scientists at Maida's polytechnic college are r6versing the trend of rural upliftment through urban-basgd planning
Agenda for people's participation
Two new amendments to the Constitution promise greater effectiveness in civic administration and urban planning; but is that enough?
Urban commons: Need to develop financing framework
Urban commons are mainly dependent on governments, particularly local governments that are more often than not financially weak
Budget by the people
Pune Municipal Corporation has been successfully implementing participatory budgeting since 2005
Here comes the megacities
By 2100, at least 10 cities are predicted to have population over 50 million. How can society keep pace?
From Africa, with will
For the first time, African countries flagged off urbanisation as a factor impacting climate change at the recently held Africa Carbon Forum …
Urban commons
Down to Earth reaches out to experts to understand the scope and limitations of reimagining urban commons
No fire exits in Delhi
Bad urban planning and a corrupt administration means fires will continue to claim lives in Delhi
Earth day musings: Can this pandemic change the idea of a city?
Post-pandemic, the new normal in our cities need to be more humane and inclusive and urban renewal must be designed on a human scale
Urban commons: Rethink their management
Loss of urban ‘commons’ and ‘communing’ among larger public have a direct impact on the way a city and its society are …
What Nigerian cities can learn from the rest of the world
The rapid rate of urban population growth, fuelled by massive rural to urban migration, has overwhelmed public sector resources in the country
The waste conundrum
An experiment of decentralized solid, liquid and energy management in a Delhi colony is unique because the efficient functioning of a well …
Unfriendly neighbourhoods
In their rush to meet the housing requirements of cities, planners are turning a blind eye to the quality of the built environment
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
Bihar plans policy change to push urbanisation
The state government has prepared a draft seeking changes to ‘old criteria’ for notifying semi-urban or rural area as urban