Use + Remix

housing and urban planning

Vegetation incorporated into a building’s exterior has two purposes: it lowers the heat transferred inside and improves the building’s look. : Photo provided by the author.

As cities grow and heat up, it’s time to get rid of your air-conditioner and have more plants in your homes.

Hot house

The urban jungle needs more trees

As cities grow and heat up, it’s time to get rid of your air-conditioner and have more plants in your homes.

Environment
Thailand’s capital Bangkok was part of self-colonialism though it’s never been colonised. : “River View of Wat Arun in Bangkok” by Marco Verch is available at https://bit.ly/3FDpwEY CC by 2.0

Cities in South and Southeast Asia share many characteristics and can learn from each other’s history, development trajectories and experiences.

Cities after colonialism

Searching for an Asian alternative to the colonial city

Cities in South and Southeast Asia share many characteristics and can learn from each other’s history, development trajectories and experiences.

Society
Calcutta police use tear gas bombs during an attempt to set fire to a Hindu temple in the 1948 riots. : Unknown photographer Public domain

Communal violence has led to clear territorial demarcation of space, access, and resources, marking the everyday experience of minority citizenship in Kolkata.

Cities after colonialism

How riots formed Kolkata’s ghettos

Communal violence has led to clear territorial demarcation of space, access, and resources, marking the everyday experience of minority citizenship in Kolkata.

Environment
Dhaka’s urban planning system is synonymous with a cumbersome bureaucracy, procedural inefficiency and lack of public accountability. : Pinu Rahman CC4.0

Depoliticised planning in Dhaka has meant a shift away from professional planners and public concerns.

Cities after colonialism

Town planners sidelined in Dhaka’s development

Society
An artist’s impression of Indonesia’s new capital on Kalimantan. : “Visi Pemindahan Ibu Kota Negara” by Setneg RI is available at https://bit.ly/3VPpr8h Ministry of State Secretariate Republic of Indonesia in Twitter

Leaving behind the troubled capital city is not a new development in Indonesia’s history.

Cities after colonialism

Indonesia’s capital move mirrors the Dutch

Society
As the technology evolves, integrating robots into the business of cities has become a key focus for city planners. : Michael Joiner, 360info CC BY 4.0

360info explores robot cities to discover the latest innovations, and help answer the looming questions they invite.

7 perspectives
Special Report

Robot cities

Society
Cities are hotspots for plants and animals that are threatened with extinction. : Patrickkavanagh/Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/patrick_k59/9697721075 CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Creating better connections between humans and nature is the first step to bringing back animals into our cities.

Biodiversity

Cities can be safe havens for endangered plants and animals

Environment
The availability of water is becoming more scarce for Asian cities with growing populations. : Felix Plakolb, Unsplash CC 1.0 Public Domain

Urban water security in Asian cities is in decline, forcing them to find new ways to manage this prescious resource.

Science against the clock

Asia’s largest cities lack water security

Environment
Building design can impact mental health. : Michael Joiner, 360info CC BY 4.0

Backgrounder: 439 words

Access to warm, dry, secure, long-term housing is key to mental health. 360info explores housing policy, residential green space and the meaning of ‘home’.

8 perspectives

8 perspectives
Special Report

Building mental health

Health