In the last couple of years, smart cities has become the buzzword in India’s citified parlance. Urban development professionals are engaged in not only trying to zero in on the exact definition of a smart city but also analysing living examples of the possible components in this regard, both within and outside the country. States […]
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Human evolution is followed by developmental activities that assimilate heterogeneous living conditions. During all stages of development and economic activity, the nature of human habitation (settlement) keeps pace with changes in human needs, technology and available resources. In the past as human populations evolved from a nomadic life to cultivation of farmlands and permanent settlements, […]
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One of the most significant lifestyle changes with severe environmental and health consequences being witnessed in developing Asia is in the form of changes in food consumption behaviour among people. India’s population is on the rise and more and more people are moving out of the poverty trap with significant improvements on the economic front. […]
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The Smart Cities Mission launched in June 2015 by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government envisages to redeem 20 cities with central assistance, to develop physical, institutional, social and economic infrastructure which is aimed at improving the quality of life as well as economic viability of these urban centres. This was long overdue as most […]
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Across the globe, countries are trying to make their cities smart by using a mix of existing and new technologies to achieve diverse objectives more efficiently. Some cities are being designed to be smart right at the outset, so that they can provide citizens cost effective services and be environment friendly, economically vibrant and attractive. […]
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Cities are hubs of assets and economic activities, and therefore of population. Cities also degrade the environment, significantly contributing to climate change directly or indirectly. At the same time cities are also vulnerable to climate change impacts. Though degradation is primarily attributable to the affluent urban section, its repercussions impact the urban poor much more. […]
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The private city is slowly emerging across the global landscape as a new form of urban development. Advertisements for these cities appeal not only to the aesthetic value and functionality of the houses, but to the very idea of the city where urban spaces can be constructed and administered by private companies. The promotions display […]
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Though the expression ‘periurban’ is used commonly, a clear and unambiguous definition is not yet available. However, a general consensus in literature leads to surmise these as fringe areas between rural and larger urban centres. Periurban areas have unique characteristics where general urban morphology is altered and traditional physical differences between urban and rural areas […]
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Urbanisation is a process rather than a measure that draws strands from several interrelated social sciences. Technically it can be defined as increments to urban population as a percentage to total population. Urban growth, however, refers to the increase in urban population itself. Presently, urbanisation is being guided by contemporary globalisation, and ‘global cities’ perform […]
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There has been a rapid rise in the number of ‘Census Towns’- increasing from 1362 in 2001 to 3894 in 2011. Census towns are in fact the revenue villages which satisfy three basic criteria – of having a minimum population of 5,000; comprising of at least 75 per cent of its male working population engaged […]
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