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To give gainful employment to those migrants who do not want to go back to the cities as it happened during demonetisation is a big challenge for the

To give gainful employment to those migrants who do not want to go back to the cities as it happened during demonetisation is a big challenge for the

Masterplans and planning initiatives do not lack foresightedness with respect to accessibility in cities. There is a need to endorse more micro level

Most Indian cities experience water supply shortages, particularly during the summer season when the demand for water is phenomenally high. In such si

It appears that as long as Mumbai continues to be the capital of Maharashtra — acute regional imbalances are likely to continue.

The commitment towards local economic development, sustainable development, ease of living, etc. must be showcased by inviting reputed countries of th

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

The African National Congress (ANC) lost three important cities in the municipal elections.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the formal schooling system in India, as it has across the globe, causing massive pressure on the online education sector. This paper analyses the state of digitalised education in India. It outlines current government guidelines on digital-mode schooling, and uses the case of Maharashtra’s five-year-old efforts at digitalising government schools to gauge preparedness for implementing the guidelines. It highl

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

Safer cities are a product of technology, policing, community participation, education, and planning and architectural design. In the policy frame, focus should be on inclusive development, participatory approaches, identity mainstreaming, and sustainable urban development to create a more equal and tolerant urban society.

The statistics in the socio economic caste census is a stark reminder that most rural poor in India do not belong to the 'middle class' at all. It is important to face up to the stark reality. Emphasis and implementation of Digital India, Make in India, Smart cities' programmes ought to take into account the problems faced by the poor.

The unending densification of cities rob all the initiatives from making a visible positive impact

The world is facing a climate-change challenge that requires nothing short of atechnological revolution to address. Yet the current patterns of technology development anddiffusions are not transformative enough; nor are they happening at a pace, rapid enough.Actions at multiple levels engaging different actors are needed to reduce emissions whilemeeting the developmental needs of the global south. This paper summarises the mostinnovative ideas s

While Open Building holds positive emancipatory potential for urban governance, the adverse impact of technology in an urban space must be kept in min

Despite concerted efforts to improve urban public transport, the use of personal vehicles has increased across India. City administrations must consider promoting the use of paratransit vehicles, such as bike-taxis, that can provide ridership to more commuters than a private vehicle. While bike-taxis are prevalent in some Indian cities, their use is curtailed elsewhere in the country by state policy and statutes. Amid growing city congest

India’s increasing urban population is getting concentrated in its large cities.

In the last two decades, the world has witnessed disease outbreaks that have resulted in massive loss of lives and economic disruptions.[1]  The current pandemic of the novel coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, might still not be the last of the pandemics that the world will suffer in the years to come—as long as human activities that use natural resources beyond their capacities, resulting in the spread of viruses, continue unab

Cities of the future must have sustainable mobility baked into the core planning process with the ultimate goal of meeting transport demand in a cost-

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

For better quality of life, city planners need to take into consideration the additional population that will flow in due to greater urbanisation whil

India’s cities have to be more liveable and have better infrastructure and economic opportunities

As the world faces unprecedented challenges such as climate change, pandemics, and disparities, sister-city relationships can help nurture a harmoniou

In embracing the metaverse, data-driven smart cities can unlock transformative possibilities for urban life quality for building new planning models

India’s hill cities are unique poles of development. While they have managed to record some degree of economic growth, increasing urban population and unfavourable topography have also made such growth haphazard and unsustainable. In turn, this has threatened the quality of the built environment and of urban life in these cities. This report studies the case of the hill city of Aizawl, the administrative capital of Mizoram, which is part of the

Central Asia is the next favoured destination of radical Islamists and terrorist groups. Several terrorist networks are said to be already active in the region and recent suicide bombings in Uzbekistan in the cities of Tashkent and Bukhara, in March and July, 2004 suggest that al-Qaeda and its allies are looking for safer havens in the wake of the increasing pressure on their networks in the Middle-East and South East Asia from the security force

As India tries to achieve the goal of making smart cities that offer smart mobility, valuable lessons can be learned from existing practices.

Given their frequent recurrence in Indian cities, the problem of urban flooding is gaining focus in policy discussions. Indeed, urban floods can cause massive loss of infrastructure, property, and lives, and have a substantial economic impact. To ensure they remain functional and secure, Indian cities must tackle the issue of floods by examining the urban over-densification problem and adopting innovative mitigation measures with the technical an

The highest allocations being given to the housing and transport sectors indicates that the government’s priority during 2023-24 is to provide shelt

In the month of August this year, India has recorded about 60,000 to 70,000 Covid-19 positive cases every day, and the total number of cases has cross

Jagmohan's address to the ORF faculty included a discussion on six important topics, namely slums and illegal constructions, human settlement patterns, culturally significant towns, cities and climate change, pattern of governance after the enactment of the Constitution (seventy-fourth amendment) Act, and resource mobilisation for city development

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

A country's development is judged by visitors from the general atmosphere and ambience of its big cities and not by the number of five star hotels and their posh lobbies

Indian cities have long struggled with the challenge of inadequate housing amidst rapid urbanisation and worsening urban poverty. Government policies have failed to fill the gap, focused as they are on ownership housing alone and neglecting rental housing. The 2015 draft National Urban Rental Housing Policy and 2019 draft Model Tenancy Act aim to rectify this situation. For these policies to be successful, however—and for India to realise its g

The need and desire for urban resilience is firmly established. It is time for actual actions.

A striking feature of India's urbanisation is the phenomenal size of population of some urban centres. As per Census 2011, there are 53 cities/urban agglomerations in the country that have recorded a population of more than a million. In some of these centres, the population is as high as 18.4 million.

The urban nature of the pandemic becomes clearer when we consider the megacities and the large Indian cities.

The limited development of India's maritime capacities is a cause for strategic concern, especially considering the impact on the nation's economy, which is currently dependent on sea-borne trade for its well being.

For Japan, which is facing growing Chinese belligerence, combining capacities with the US with a new strategic intent may just be what it needs

The issue of valuing water is contentious because of its physical, political and economic dimensions. Yet, it is an important debate, as valuation is key in estimating the benefits and costs of different management options. An effective valuation supports better informed decision-making in the allocation and use of the resource, as well as in the implementation of SDG6, i.e. to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanita

The growing military activities in the Coco Islands and its proximity to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have prompted India to expand its own capacit

In the urban-rural stereotyping, the phrase 'city girls' epitomises the impact of urban excesses on the apparent modesty and traditional aspect of femininity. City girls are assumed to be loud, to say the least, and of 'morally inappropriate character' on the extreme. Even within cities, this dilemma of how girls in cities ought to behave persists.

With the current government’s plan to build 100 smart cities in India, buildings sector in India has a huge potential to achieve enhanced efficiency

Unless urban planning is heavily incentivised with quality men and money, development plans are likely to remain on paper

The most urgent need is to upgrade India's physical infrastructure to encourage domestic and foreign direct investment in the manufacturing sector. This will absorb the rural labor surplus that is migrating to the cities by providing employment in labor-intensive, less technology-intensive manufacturing, regulated by humane labor laws catering to the contemporary needs of the economy.

The politics of India is changing. The change will come not just through macro measures like the introduction of large-scale manufacturing or modern agriculture, but in a number of small ways - better schools, safer cities, better urban facilities, mental institutions and jails, fairer purvey of justice and so on.

The Observer Research Foundation first conceptualised the foreign policy survey last year to build on the existing strand of polling research in India. In December 2020, the poll sampled 2,037 Indians aged 18-35 from 14 cities

यंदा अर्थसंकल्पात मेट्रो रेल्वे प्रकल्प वगळता, शहरी भागांमधल्या इतर योजनांसाठी आवश्यक अर्थसंकल्पीय पाठबळामध्ये फार उल्लेखन्नीय वाढ दिसून येत नाही.