Help us shape a sustainable urban future for Northeast India

ARTICLES

PUBLIC SPACES

Parks are part of a city's basic public infrastructure. Like roads, footpaths, streetlights and playgrounds, they improve the quality of life for everyone. They provide children with places to play, families with spaces to spend time together, older people with safe places to walk and every citizen with cleaner air, cooler neighbourhoods and better physical and mental health. These benefits extend beyond the individual visitor. A healthier and more liveable city benefits everyone.

WALKING

Opinion | The Right To Walk: What The Supreme Court's New Ruling Means For Guwahati's StreetsSupreme Court declares safe walking a fundamental right, highlighting Guwahati’s broken footpaths and pedestrian safety crisis.

ENVIRONMENT

Guwahati is fast axing its trees and undermining its future - Question of CitiesAmong Assam’s largest cities, Guwahati has turned into a huge construction site with a dwindling tree cover. The city lost 12 square kilometres of trees between 2001 and 2023 which is the size of London Heathrow airport while Assam’s forest loss in the past two decades is equal to losing two Delhis. The construction of roads, flyovers, and other projects has taken a heavy toll on trees. While people have come out to save them, the authorities are yet to realise that existing trees must be protected and new ones planted.

What lessons can we learn from Guwahati’s Dighalipukhuri movement?Assam is a comparatively underdeveloped state in India, plagued by insurgency, illegal immigration, rising income inequality, and a lack of employment

Deepor Beel needs 'development' but not at the cost of environmentDeepor Beel, a crucial wetland in Assam, has long been a sanctuary for biodiversity and an essential natural resource for the region. However, ongoing

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

Every time Guwahati's traffic becomes a topic of discussion, one solution quickly appears on social media: "Metro will solve everything"

It is easy to understand why. Anyone who has travelled to cities like Delhi or Bengaluru or London has experienced the comfort and speed of a metro. Looking at Guwahati's worsening traffic, it is tempting to believe that a metro would solve the city's transport problems.

ROADS & STREETS

Cars and Car Free Day(s)

The Past : The modern automobile or the car was invented and developed in Germany in the later part of the 19th century. It was mostly used by rich people as a toy rather than a mode of transportation due to its high price. Cars became common in America and Europe in the early twentieth century after the American Ford company started using assembly lines to produce them in large quantities and thus bringing its price down

ROAD SAFETY

Pedestrian and Cyclist Lives Matter: A Call for Safer Urban MobilityPedestrian and Cyclist Lives Matter: A Call for Safer Urban Mobility The Hidden Toll on Our Streets Every day, countless Indians choose to walk or cycle—whether to school, work, or the market. Yet, these simple, sustainable acts are fraught with danger. As per the 2022 Road Accidents in India Report 32,825 pedestrians and 4,836 cyclists were killed in out of 1,68,491 total fatalities on road accounting for nearly 20% pedestrians and 3% cyclists of all road fatalities . The recent accident involving Esow Alben, India's first World Championships medallist in cycling, underscores the peril. While training in Delhi, he was struck

Why are pedestrians not allowed to safely cross National Highway 27?The 18 km stretch of National Highway no 27, passing through the southern part of Guwahati, seems to have become an unsafe area. Many accidents, mostly

FLYOVERS

The Assam Budget 2026-27, the first budget of the newly elected government, confirmed a major transport project that had been announced earlier—a ₹3,423 crore elevated corridor between Jalukbari and Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport. Finance Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah presented it as part of a larger infrastructure programme being implemented with support from the Government of India. Earlier, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said that the corridor would reduce travel time between Jalukbari and the airport to just three minutes.

CYCLING

Unequal City Streets: Reclaiming citizens’ rights to hold fitness and recreational events in GuwahatiUnequal City Streets: Reclaiming citizens’ rights to hold fitness and recreational events in Guwahati On April 9, 2025, the Office of the Commissioner of Police, Guwahati, issued an order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, restricting all types of processions, rallies, marathons, walkathons, and similar events within Guwahati city limits. The reason cited was traffic congestion and potential delays to emergency services. An earlier notification released on February 10 had already banned all processions, under which cycle rallies and running events were also denied permission inside the city. The notification states that “Procession

Pedal for a Better Future: An Appeal for World Bicycle Day Top Stories | Watch Tower | Pollution, particularly from the automobile sector, contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating climate-related challenges.

CYCLING SCENE IN ASSAM

The story of cycling in Assam goes back more than a century ago when Deshbhakta Tarun Ram Phukan brought and rode the first cycle in Assam. Since then, cycles have become an integral part of almost every Assamese family across the state. And despite motorized 2 wheelers being seen everywhere now, are actually fewer in number, and in comparison more than 70% of households in Assam still own a bicycle — this is per the National Family Health Survey of 2019–21.