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.

#Cities #Government #Human Rights
BACK TO SCHOOL
Meaningful restart of education is critical

Inequalities in education, which were already very large, have been considerably worsened by the long closure of schools. But this crisis is also an opportunity for renewal of the education system.

#Adivasis #Caste #Curricula #Education
TACTICAL URBANISM
At Bhalswa, architecture meets reality

A team of young architects learns that their formal learning provides only limited guidance to tackle the stark challenges faced by those living in an uplanned colony next to a major urban dumpsite.

#Waste #Society #DELHI
RESPONDING TO CRISES
Laws for rapid response to crises need reforms

The experience of women street vendors during and after the lock-downs shows that responses to crises mut be bound better by the law and rules, and strike a balance between different vulnerabilities.

#Livelihoods #Human Rights #Laws #Relief #Women
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.

#Cities #Housing #Government
SELF-GOVERNANCE
Reversing the gaze on democracy

Can people themselves decide how governments should respond to their needs? Janta ka Faisla asks us to consider how the practice of democracy would look if it began from the most vulnerable citizens. 

#Livelihoods #Government #OP-ED #Poverty #CHHATISGARH
WASTE MANAGEMENT
Decentralisation is better for developing economies

Urban waste continues to grow, and governments at different levels are responding with a range of approaches. There are several reasons to choose decentralisation.

#Livelihoods #Urban Environment #Waste #Environment
COVID LOCKDOWN
Pandemic diary : Part III - The best and the worst

For some, the plight of countless desperately poor people trapped by the lockdown was a call to action. But for others, it was a time for unscrupulous opportunism and cruel discrimination.

#Food Security #Public Health #Society
MULTI-LAYERED PLASTICS
Inclusive design of new EPR regime is possible

Extended Producer Responsibility-based interventions can be designed to ensure that wastepickers and informal workers remain an integral part of the new regime too.

#Livelihoods #Waste #Environment #MAHARASHTRA
COVID LOCKDOWN
Pandemic diary : Part II - An uncertain kindness

Hundreds of millions were caught off-guard by the lockdown. As the government struggled to respond, it was up to citizens to recognise the humanity of each other and do what they could. 

#Food Security #Livelihoods #Public Health #Society
EPR REGULATIONS
New regime, but many pending expectations

Waste pickers and others in informal recycling supply chains have long sought better terms and conditions of work, and to be heard as equals in decisions about waste management.

#Livelihoods #Waste #Human Rights
COVID LOCKDOWN
Pandemic diary : Part I - The scramble

The suddenness of the lockdown left poor people unable to prepare themselves. To survive, they had to leave their homes in search of support, making them vulnerable to more than the virus.

#Livelihoods #Public Health #Poverty
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.

#Cities #Housing #Laws
RIGHT TO HOUSING
Urban poor lack a roof over their head

Looking into what’s happening in the State of Karnataka, Kathyayini Chamaraj discusses the housing needs and rights of the urban poor.

#Housing #Government #Poverty
MUMBAI'S WOES
When cities go under
MUMBAI'S WOES : When cities go under

Mumbai is closer to finalising its 20-year development plan, from 2014 to 2034. The plan might be hiding more than it reveals, writes Darryl D'Monte.

#Cities #Urban Environment #Environment