Blogs

Earlier this year, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck India, saving lives became the singular goal of the administration and frontline workers. Rising to the challenge, the city administration, health institutions, law and order authorities, community organizations, entrepreneurs and innovators, all joined forces to offer prompt support and access to essential supplies. Today, as the nation grapples to adapt to a new and constantly evolving normal (amid prevailing pandemic), it is...

In recent years, electric three-wheelers, especially e-rickshaws, have been growing in numbers in India. Positioned as an affordable means of intermediate public transportation over short-to-medium distances, the three-wheeler segment is generally considered as low hanging fruit in electric vehicle adoption on account of its ubiquitous appeal.

In this blog, which is a part of the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership...

In India, two-wheelers account for 70% of the 200 million plus registered vehicles — contributing to around 20% of the total Carbon Dioxide emissions and about 30% of the particulate emissions in urban areas. The electrification of two-wheelers (2Ws) provides an enormous opportunity to cut down on Carbon Dioxide emissions and improve air quality levels.

As part of the ...

Cities are transforming in many ways as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A great number of people changed their lifestyles during the pandemic and turned to walking and cycling, and the government changed how transport can be accessed. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) initiated different challenges like Streets for People Challenge, Cycles4Change Challenge in response to COVID-19 to promote walking and cycling and to reimagine streets as public spaces through the lens of economic regeneration,...

Globally, and in India, the COVID-19 pandemic has temporarily interrupted the strong growth of the electric vehicles market. In the coming days, it will be important to regain this momentum in order to advance the decarbonization of transport.

The transport sector is responsible for 24% of global energy-related CO2 emissions, of which almost three-fourths is due to road transportation. At the local level, tailpipe emissions are significant sources of air pollution killing an estimated seven million...

Among various response approaches to build back better following the COVID-19 pandemic, one approach that has gained global attention from the perspective of green, sustainable and resilient growth is ‘Nature-based Solutions (NbS)’

NbS are actions that help address societal challenges and foster development by working with nature and anchoring solutions with local communities. They help identify how healthy natural ecosystems can be protected, developed and utilized for services that benefit humans and...

This blog was originally published on WRI.

COVID-19 continues to sweep across the world, and has now spread from the developed world to the global South. With rural populations making up three-quarters of the world’s poor, the impact of the pandemic will inevitably be most devastating in developing...

This blog was originally published on TheCityFix.

Mumbai’s suburban rail system is the world’s busiest, serving 7.5 million riders a day. This photo story is an attempt at documenting moments of precarious travel in Mumbai city, as part of a...

This blog was originally published on TheCityFix.

Children are often under-prioritized or even disregarded in urban planning and design. It’s estimated that up to...

Every drop of water is precious in western Rajasthan. This sun-baked swathe of arid land is dotted with ‘dhanis’, or small settlements comprising of 50-100 people and a few thousand of their domesticated animals. Remote villages such as Kisangarh and Girduwala, located close to the India-Pakistan border are a part of the Thar desert ecosystem, characterized by sandy plain and dune landscape interspersed with grasses and hardy bushes such as ‘aakdo’ and ‘thor’. This region receives less than 100-200 mm rainfall in a good year and depends solely on groundwater for sustenance.

Until...