Search

Can India’s cities turn their mounting plastic waste into a circular economy success story through markets, technology, and global partnerships?

A congestion charge, like the one being implemented in New York, is proven to have a positive impact on traffic congestion and quality of life, howeve

सर्वांना समन्यायी आणि शाश्वत पाणी मिळावे यासाठी पायाभू�

A comprehensive approach involving infrastructure development, improved water management, and effective policies is required to ensure equitable and s

The delimitation of electoral constituencies in India is crucial to address the underrepresentation of urban areas

Comprehensive policy interventions and tailored formalisation efforts in cities can ensure decent work and improve the livelihoods of domestic workers

The ambitious targets of the city climate action plans will be challenging to achieve unless they focus on conserving and revitalising the bird divers

The attainment of sustainable urban public transportation in Indian cities will be crucial for its aspiration to rank among the top three economies

This year’s theme for the Earth Day, ‘Invest in our planet’, is a pivotal point in history as the need to adapt and mitigate the triple planetar

What are the consequences of illegal construction in urban India?

With metro rail adding one more layer to urban mass transit, an autonomous UMTA is necessary to increase the modal share of public transport in urban

The Mumbai Model has shown how decentralised, collaborative and data-driven governance can effectively overcome a crisis even in the densest and poorl

What steps are Indian cities taking in order to bring about the sustainable management of groundwater?

Solutions to the problem are pretty obvious. The first step is to set the policy right. Governments have to begin by scrapping the rent laws as they s

Governments at centre, state and city levels must give up gimmicks and urgently act to improve the quality of water in urban India

Vehicular congestion and insufficient parking facilities are significant emerging challenges for India’s mega and metropolitan cities, severely impairing mobility. Although curtailed by constitutional mandates, many Indian cities are seeking to resolve the issue through parking policies, focusing on regulations, pricing as a management tool, new technologies, and off-street parking provisions. This brief assesses the parking policies of Ahmedab

The 2011 anti-corruption movement in India—characterised by a huge trust deficit in the political class—was the culmination of several such localised movements that marked the birth of a new civil society in contemporary urban India. This paper studies the profusion of middle-class-led associations in Mumbai fighting for good governance, and their increased political mobilisation in the city. It argues that a new civil society bypasses electe

This paper argues that India’s housing strategy should not be confined to merely creating affordable housing stock to tackle the shortage, as such an approach is myopic. Instead, a sound housing strategy must be informed by an adequate understanding of the multiple facets of housing poverty, including the factors that are responsible for the proliferation of slums. The blueprint offered in this paper understands an effective housing scheme as a

The workforce participation rate of India’s women is significantly lower than that of the men; and amongst the women, the employment levels of urban women are lower than those of their rural counterparts. Using the findings of the 2018 Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), released in 2019, this brief provides an overview of the current state of female labour force participation in urban India. It analyses data on vocational training and employm

Social marginalisation in urban India can be overcome by identifying committed non-State individuals/institutions, and supporting them so that they are able to successfully contribute to the government's reform process.

Urban inequality is a blight experienced by many cities, even in the developed world.In developing countries like India, these social and economic inequalities become even morepronounced, with living conditions in certain populations crossing the line to the abysmal. Inthese cities, agencies responsible for addressing welfare concerns are unable to do so, as theythemselves grapple with a host of challenges. This paper argues that any positive tra

Across India, existing systems for the collection, transportation and disposal of solid waste are mired in chaos. The problem is more acute in the urban areas, where rapidly growing populations generate increasingly larger quantities of solid waste that urban local bodies (ULBs) are unable to manage effectively. Improper management of solid waste poses risks to the environment and public health. This paper dissects the state of solid waste manage

Street vending was illegal in urban India for almost six decades until the passage of the Street Vendors Act in 2014. Despite the law having legalised the activity, however, the default policy in most cities across India is to clamp down on street hawkers. Yet street vending remains a viable source of employment for many. As the pace of urbanisation increases across India, it is only likely that a greater number of street traders will contest for

India is witnessing a phenomenal increase in urbanisation and it is essential that this process is studied and analysed thoroughly to provide for a better quality of life, said Mr. Strobe Talbott, President of the Brookings Institution, while formally releasing ORF Mumbai Vision 2015: Agenda for Urban Renewal, published by Observer Research Foundation in ORF Mumbai on September 20.

The affordable housing challenge plagues cities across India. Although city administrations have framed various strategies to tackle the issue, weak implementation, flawed policies, and an inherent lack of capacity to find longterm solutions have allowed slums to proliferate as an alternative. This paper examines the affordable housing issue in Greater Mumbai. Since affordability is not absolute but relative to the development stage and income di

Urban India is mimicking the social and cultural structures of inequality thereby also creating fault lines for future conflicts

Narendra Modi seems serious about building 100 smart cities. Just look at how the port city of Dholera in Gujarat is shaping up. It's might as well become an emblematic talisman of how a few handpicked men and women can build a new urban India at breakneck speed.