Blogs

Being at the forefront of climate disasters, India has experienced flash floods, droughts, cyclonic storms, heat waves and other indirect effects due to climate change in the last two years....

India's national capital, Delhi, has developed over many centuries, encompassing a rich and diverse history. Each successive regime that ruled Delhi shaped parts of the city’s landscape, its settlement patterns and ecological buffer zones. Today, this capital sits amidst the National Capital Region (NCR) – a 55,083 sq. km region that is India’s leading GDP contributor and one of the largest urban agglomerations in the world.

Nestled...

Cities serve as the engines and drivers of economic growth. They sit at the nexus of infrastructural and human resources, generating economic opportunity by providing economies of scale, infrastructure, attracting talent and skilled labor. However, these economic growth trajectories are primarily mapped by demand and supply – based on consumption and extraction. This extractive, non-regenerative model of growth is turning urban regions into key contributors to...

From the earliest known records of human civilizations to the current world map, water has been the critical element determining where habitations and city-regions flourished. Whether it be Mesopotamia, emerging between the riverine landscapes of the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, or the Harappa civilization on the Indus River in the Indian subcontinent, history has demonstrated that destinies of human settlements remain tied to their water systems- often dwindling as these vital ecosystems collapsed over time.

The relationship between water and human settlements endures, but much...

Land restoration-based enterprises help protect forests, restore agricultural lands and common lands that are facing multiple challenges such as degradation, fragmentation, declining productivity, biodiversity loss and soil erosion. These enterprises leverage innovative technologies and practices to also provide resilient livelihood opportunities for local communities and increase their adaptability and preparedness against climate shocks.

The fourth edition of Land Accelerator South Asia – a unique program that supports land restoration-based businesses – features...

A tamarind tree has been living on our ancestral plot for more than 150 years. It has been a member of our family for generations. Its branches arch over the terrace of our house. I grew up playing under this tree – eating both its ripened and still-raw, sweet and sour fruit, and sampling its flowers and tart leaves for good measure. The crown of the tree is wide enough to provide shade to the adjoining municipal school and offers respite to innumerable heat-afflicted pedestrians, including schoolchildren and hawkers. In a recent discussion on redeveloping our plot, the developer took it...

India is the seventh most climate-vulnerable country in the world, with nine of its states among the top 50 most vulnerable regions globally. The country's cities are at the forefront of the climate crisis with more than 80% of the urban population living in hazard-prone districts....

Climate change-induced events such as heat waves and floods severely impact the quality of life in urban areas. It can be financially disruptive and even fatal, disproportionately impacting settlements most vulnerable to climate risks. Greening of open spaces can be an important strategy for addressing such increasing urban heat and flood-related risks in cities. However, as our cities expand, rampant urbanization adversely impacts the availability of and access to such open spaces.

In Mumbai,...

“Cities, like dreams, are made of desires and fears, even if the thread of their discourse is secret, their rules are absurd, their perspectives deceitful, and everything conceals something else.” ― Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities

India’s growth trajectory reveals the sheer diversity in the nature, pace and scale of change across its urban centers. They are spread across the spectrum, from small village towns finding themselves on the cusp of being deemed urban, to members of the densest urban agglomerations in the world. Research has indicated the existence of multiple...

Situated along the coast of the Bay of Bengal, in Puri, Odisha, the Penthakata settlement relies on the sea for its livelihood. While men set sail for fishing, the narrow streets spanning through shacks and semi-pucca houses buzz with activities of daily living. Small, poorly ventilated houses and the need to share public utilities push women and children outdoors, to get fresh air or for cooking, showering, washing clothes and playing.

Like other women from the community, Chittama makes several trips to get water from the municipal public water taps for domestic use. Due to...