ESG Imaginaries to Make Cities Work
‘ESG Imaginaries to Make Cities Work’ is a webinar series co-organised by ESG in collaboration with Habitat Forum – INHAF
Read more‘ESG Imaginaries to Make Cities Work’ is a webinar series co-organised by ESG in collaboration with Habitat Forum – INHAF
Read moreESG has worked with street communities to reclaim streets as public commons, to protect street vendor rights, to promote pedestrian and cycling rights, to secure urban greenery – especially tree lines and heritage spaces, all to promote the idea of a city that would ensure inclusivity is central to such public spaces and infrastructure. The argument has been and continues to be that there must be deep democratisation of decision making relating to mobility and infrastructure development so that the promise of Article 39 B – that ownership and employment of material resources best serve the common good – is actually an argument for protecting commons, ensuring good health, promoting environmentally viable and equitable livelihoods, and ensuring the city is a construct that is socially responsible, economically viable and ecologically wise.
Read moreESG has worked with this problematique of the commons and demonstrated how securing them can be a win-win for all. Working with communities to resist privatisation of commons, such as lakes, and then asking for a policy to protect them with Public Trust Doctrine and the principle of intergenerational equity as the basis, has resulted in path breaking outcomes – rehabilitation of lakes as inclusive commons and as sacred spaces that deserve community and statutory protection to advance ecological and water security.
Read moreFor over two decades, ESG has focussed on the emerging urban environmental and socio-economic challenges and has been working with multiple communities, government agencies, academia, media, etc. The approach has always been about finding viable and inclusive solutions to vexatious problems advocating deeply democratic processes that draw on intersectoral, interdisciplinary, intersectional experiences, knowledge and histories. Bangalore and other cities today are in a mess as they follow highly centralised governance approaches that drift from existing legal provisions in which the various local publics find no place to imagine their futures as part of a collective imagining of the city’s future.
Read moreThere have been innumerable efforts in the past by civil society, trade unions, academia, public health experts and others who repeatedly stressed the crucial importance of strengthening local governance as key to mitigating and managing problems. These efforts have reached various High Courts and the Supreme Court too as Public Interest Litigations, trying to make local governance work. But the hubristic reliance and faith in centralised management has been such that even court orders directing public involvement in decision-making have all been disregarded. The whims and fancies of a few in power have prevailed with technology-based solutions for the pandemic.
Read moreBy Ashwin Lobo, Research Associate, Environment Support Group
Read moreIn collaboration with Program on Science, Technology and Society, Harvard Kennedy School, USA & Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Germany, as part of a project on Governance of Sociotechnical Transformation in this interrogating discussion on Governance and Financial Implications of ‘Smart Cities’.
Read moreThe core idea was to develop a critical outlook to the Smart Cities Mission in the overall landscape of governance and planning.
Read moreThe first of the series is on Thursday the 20th of August 2020 5-6.30 pm IST
Read moreA report of a symposium organized by Environment Support Group Written by ESG Team 15 December 2017 Downloads: Report of
Read moreInvitation to a Symposium 15 December 2017 ; Time: 10 am to 1.30 pm ; Venue: @ Ashirwad (Behind Kabab
Read moreSome Ideas to Advance Public Involvement in Urban Decision Making Recently, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) received a surge of
Read moreOrganised by CERAS and Centre for Engineering in Society, Concordia University 6 July 2015 ; Time: 6 pm ; Venue:
Read moreShort Film by Swissnex, made in 2011 Written by Swissnex for Youtube 12 January 2011 India-China: Future Cities Short
Read moreAsia Urbs Programme of the European Commission Written by CITYNET Secretariat 30 July 2001 – 2 August 2001 Downloads the
Read moreThis issue of EJM focusses on climate change, global policy and legal developments, environmental challenges ,human rights and other major issues.
Read moreThis issue of EJM focusses on traditional medicines, lake rehabilitation, water security, climate change and other major issues.
Read moreThis issue of EJM focuses on securing land rights to the hakki pikki tribes, Ragikana Santhe, plastics, pollution and forest conservation.
Read moreThis Issue of EJM focuses on the amendments to the Biodiversity Act and Forest Conservation Act, the revival of handloom in India, plastic pollution and many more burning issues.
Read moreHon’ble Members of Parliament (Rajya Sabha): Between 11 pm on 30th July 2023 (Sunday) and 10 am today, over 1500
Read moreIn an unprecedented step, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Karnataka Shri. Siddaramaiah has recognised the potential of the handloom sector to create green livelihood opportunities for thousands, and made exemplary provisions in the Karnataka Budget 2023-24 that he presented on 7th July 2023.
Read moreThis issue of EJM focus on the horrific situation in Manipur, the handloom industry in North Karnataka, reimagining urban governance in Bengaluru and reclaiming our right to protest.
Read moreList of Press Releases organised by subject and date, updated until 19-Jun-2023
Read moreThis issue focuses on the poor condition of lakes and storm water drains in the city, the troubling pathways to climate mitigation, protection of indigenous knowledge and the environmental injustice caused by urbanisation.
Read moreThis issue focusses on biodiversity and forest cover loss, threat to water commons, plastic pollution, cons of renewables and coastal maldevelopment.
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