INEQUALITY
The need to spatialise human rights in cities

Informal settlements, despite containing a majority of the people, are treated as aberrations. Forced to live outside legal sanction, the poor are condemned to a degraded quality of life.

#Urban Poor #Government #Human Rights
URBAN MOBILITY
Shaping our streets for people

Plenty of money has been spent widening roads. It is clear that doesn't work. Instead, designing our cities for walking and cycling is a much better option, and is also imperative to fight climate change.

#Climate #Transport #Government #MAHARASHTRA
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Delhi Metro hit hard by limited operations

With ridership down, DMRC's annual losses, which had already been growing each year, have ballooned. Non-fare revenues are low, and the company's obligations to repay loans are looming.

#Transport #Economy
PARTICIPATORY PLANNING
The people and their plans for cities
PARTICIPATORY PLANNING : The people and their plans for cities

By listening to residents, and understanding the needs that have driven them to organic solutions, it is possible for Master Plans in cities to be a lot more attentive to the lived realities of people.

#Housing #Urban Poor #Government
WASTE MANAGEMENT
Higher funding alone doesn't improve urban services

Urban finances do need to be strengthened, but expenditure alone is not enough to improve outcomes. A study of waste management in 27 cities shows the importance of other non-monetary influences.

#Public Funds #Waste #Government
CULTURAL LEGACIES
History, as remembered by the people

Formal urban planning and official heritage narratives have ignored the cultural legacies of cities. Citizens groups, however, are already exploring this and could point the way forward.

#History #Society #DELHI
REAL DEMOCRACY
Citizens demand real participation in governance

In cities across Karnataka, civil society groups are pushing the government to set up ward committees and area sabhas through which they can direct the governance of their localities.

#Government #Laws #KARNATAKA
SELF-GOVERNANCE
Ground-up planning in Ranchi's slums

Can people themselves plan for their basic services? A new initiative in informal settlements which have been ignored by formal planners shows the potential of a different approach.

#Adivasis #Water #Government #JHARKHAND
URBAN RESILIENCE
Disaster response must be decentralised, humanised

For long-term mitigation of disasters in urban areas, ward-level citizens' committees will need to carry out community-based bottom-up planning for sustainable and inclusive development.

#Public Health #Government
URBANISATION
Bird's eye view of city planning is full of blur

Planning for settlements in the country follows an outdated approach. Re-imagining urban India will have to start with an overhaul of the existing statutory frameworks.

#Government
URBAN SPACES
Recognising the right to the city

The Delhi HC ruling in Ajay Maken offers hope to residents of informal settlements by protecting their right to housing and enhancing their role in decision-making about urban space.

#Housing #Urban Poor #Laws
URBAN RESILIENCE
Cities must look to nature for relief from heat

Heat waves have not received as much attention as other climate risks, but more cities now confront their toll. New mechanisms for governance and financing will also be needed.

#Climate #Urban Environment #Environment
URBAN PLANNING
The way forward for Mumbai Metro's new lines

Thirty five kilometers of mass transit are about to be added to Mumbai Metro. Applying an economic development lens would help in the planning of areas around these upcoming lines.

#Transport #Economy #MAHARASHTRA
URBAN FOOD POLICY
RICH food for better cities
URBAN FOOD POLICY : RICH food for better cities

A new book by the World Bank urges all cities to implement explicit food policies to foster reliable, inclusive, competitive and healthy food systems aligned with their aspirations and challenges.

#Food Security #Public Health #Government
NON-MOTORISED TRANSPORT
A new law needed for active mobility
NON-MOTORISED TRANSPORT : A new law needed for active mobility

We cannot build a city for athletic young people and motor vehicles alone. Affirmative action for non-motoridsed transport is needed to set a clear course for an inclusive and practical imagination of our cities.

#Transport #Economy

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