In this report, ESCAP explores the future of urbanization in Asia and the Pacific, focusing on the dynamic shifts in the region’s urban landscape. It highlights the region’s demographic transformations, including population ageing, and the persistent challenges of urban poverty and inequality. The analysis covers urban areas of all sizes, …
India's urban crisis hits Chandigarh. Why are we surprised? the rapid changes transforming Indian cities haven't left Chandigarh untouched. Long called the City Beautiful for its
Le Corbusier Foundation, Paris, plans to put Chandigarh in UNESCO's modern heritage list. m n sharma, the first architect to work with Le Corbusier, tells savvy soumya misra about an urbanization drive and other problems killing the city Unplanned growth Chandigarh is among the best planned cities in the world. …
In the study, geospatial tools were employed for quantifying changes in the spatial extent of fragile ecosystems of some of the world's most famous lakes and wetlands located in the suburbs of Srinagar. The extent of lakes, wetlands and built-up land as depicted on the archive topographical map of the …
a planning Commission expert group on groundwater recently released its report. Titled Groundwater management and ownership, the report suggests community-based groundwater management at the farm level. It is, however, silent on urban and industrial use. In October 2005, the Planning Commission created an expert group headed by its energy and …
there is growing evidence to believe that the incidence of acid rain is increasing in India. Many experts link the phenomenon with increasing industrialisation in the country. On August 23, Union minister of state for environment and forest, Namo Narain Meena, informed the Rajya Sabha that the India Meteorological Department …
In this paper, an attempt is made to prepare an energy management model for Lucknow city along with policy recommendations for optimal energy utilization and management. At the outset, the authors have reviewed the related literature on energy management in the urban system. The entire collected literature is divided into …
The floods of August 2006 are among the worst Gujarat's Surat city has experienced in recent times. The sudden release of a huge amount of water from the Ukai dam led to over 80 per cent of Surat going under water. More than 2 million people were incommunicado
Cities have long been held as agents of economic growth. In recent times, urban buoyancy has been cited as among the main reasons of India's consumer revolution. There is a damper though. On June 27 2007, one of the country's leading economic research bodies released the draft of a report …
A minimum population of 5,000 persons At least 75 per cent of the male population engaged in non-agricultural pursuits Population density of at least 400 persons per sq km All statutory towns having a municipality International research on the economy of urban areas suggests That they are generators of employment …
Land resources are limited and finite. There is bound to be conflict over land use. In a developing country like India, land use planning is applied at four broad scale: national, state, district and village (or small watershed). Different kinds of decisions are taken at such level, where the methods …
This paper provides a comparative overview of urban transport in the world’s two most populous countries: China and India. Cities in both countries are suffering from severe and worsening transport problems: air pollution, noise, traffic injuries and fatalities, congestion, parking shortages, energy use, and a lack of mobility for the …
Hilaro Siquera used to own a 243-hectare farm in Divar, about 6 km from Goa's capital, Panaji. His land isn't cultivable any more: saline water has claimed most of it. Most of Siqueria's fellow cultivators work as daily wagers, their farms having been reduced to mosquito-infested swamps. Divar's 400-odd farms …
The author brings us face to face with the consequences of decisions taken by those far removed from the stench and struggle of slum reality. In his 1998 study, Cities in Civilization, the planner and scholar Sir Peter Hall endorsed an ancient optimism: belief in an umbilical link between urban …
This study examines the activities of governments and researchers in six cities and urban regions to integrate climate concerns into policy and programs, and to adapt to climate change. The cities/urban regions studied were: London, New York City and the Metro East Coast Region, Boston Metropolitan Region, Halifax Regional Municipality, …
Humanity has just crossed a major landmark in its history with the majority of people now living in cities. Cities have long been known to be society's predominant engine of innovation and wealth creation, yet they are also its main source of crime, pollution, and disease. The inexorable trend toward …
In this paper we illustrate the socio-economic dynamics of peri-urban zones of Indian Metropolitan cities, which are at the heart of the current urban liberalisation. For this, we study the impact of the water purchasing agreement the Metropolitan water board signed with some farmers of peri-urban areas of Chennai (formerly …
Extreme rainfall events today pose a serious threat to many populated and urbanized areas worldwide; an accurate estimate of frequency and distribution of these events can significantly aid policy planning and observation system design. We report here a first-ever high-resolution (10 KM) analysis of heavy rainfall episodes (defined as 24-hour …