In this essay, the author brings Kolkata alive not through the monuments, but in the everyday lives, through the artists on the streets, vendors in markets, and friendships stitched in small gestures. It is a portrait of resilience and warmth, where survival meets creativity, and the city’s true soul is found in its people. Bringing back the focus on how the place is only as good as the people in it.

This year’s Youth Writing Contest brought together voices from 174 cities, each sharing how their city became a teacher in unexpected ways. Meet the winners and explore their stories.

In India’s small and mid-sized cities, multi-level car parking (MLCP) projects are increasingly promoted to address growing parking pressures. Yet, most facilities remain underutilised, often lying vacant despite significant investment. This article examines the reasons behind this paradox, including behavioural preferences for on-street parking, accessibility challenges, safety concerns, and inadequate integration with broader urban mobility strategies. It explores how succe

As seas slowly inch higher, India’s smaller coastal cities face a growing threat of submergence yet remain off the radar of mainstream climate conversations. In Nāgrika’s Climate Change Series, Part 3 reveals the overlooked risks, data gaps, and policy blind spots that could leave hundreds of communities at risk of an advancing shoreline.

भारत में कभी आम जनता के मनोरंजन के केंद्र रहे सिंगल-स्क्रीन थिएटर तेजी से खत्म हो रहे हैं। आज देश में 6,000 से भी कम थिएटर बचे हैं, जिनमें से केवल 1,000 ही संचालित हो रहे हैं। मल्टीप्लेक्स का उदय, महामारी की बाधाएं और बढ़ते कर दरों ने कई प्रतिष्ठित थिएटरों को बंद करने पर मजबूर कर दिया है। लेकिन क्या इस कहानी में कोई मोड़ आ सकता है? कुछ थिएटर अपनी इनोवेटिव रणनीतियों और सरकारी समर्थन के चलते बचाव कर रहे हैं, और हाल की ब्लॉकबस्टर फिल्मों की सफलता इस उद्योग के पुनरुद्धार का संकेत

Single-screen theatres in India, once an entertainment hub for the masses, are rapidly disappearing, with fewer than 6,000 still standing and only 1,000 operating. The rise of multiplexes, pandemic disruptions, and unsustainable tax rates have forced iconic theatres to close their doors. But could there be a twist in this tale? Some theatres are defying the odds through innovative strategies and government support, while recent blockbuster successes hint at a possible revival

Urban wetlands in India are often overlooked – from their ecological importance and rapid decline to the challenges and innovative efforts in their conservation. Through case studies from both major metros and smaller cities, Nāgrika sheds light on how these watery ecosystems sustain our cities and why protecting them matters more than ever in this report.

Wetlands aren’t just patches of water, they’re urban lifelines hiding in plain sight! From Kolkata to Guwahati and Udaipur, Nagrika’s report and panel discussion on urban wetlands dive into how this overlooked ecosystem sustains our cities ecologically, economically, and culturally. As the climate crisis looms, can local innovation and stewardship reshape how we see and save our urban wetlands?

आर्द्रभूमि केवल पानी के जमाव नहीं हैं, बल्कि ये शहरों की ज़िंदगी के छिपे हुए स्रोत हैं! कोलकाता से गुवाहाटी और उदयपुर तक, नागरिक की रिपोर्ट और पैनल चर्चा शहरी आर्द्रभूमियों की भूमिका पर प्रकाश डालती है — कैसे यह अक्सर अनदेखी की जाने वाली पारिस्थितिकी तंत्र हमारे शहरों को पर्यावरणीय, आर्थिक और सांस्कृतिक रूप से सहारा देती है। जैसे-जैसे जलवायु संकट बढ़ रहा है, क्या स्थानीय नवाचार और जिम्मेदारी हमारे नजरिए को बदल कर शहरी आर्द्रभूमियों को बचा सकते हैं?

Weather-worn walls, dwindling funds, and changing cityscapes, heritage homes in India are under the strain of urban modernisation. While some turn into digital archives, tourism, and homestays to stay afloat, others have been resisting commercialisation entirely. Caught between private responsibility and public memory, these spaces raise a pressing question: who really ensures their survival when the past doesn’t pay the bills?

Riverfront development is taking hold in Indian cities, with projects like Kota's Chambal Riverfront aiming to transform riverbanks into community spaces. However, concerns about biodiversity loss and increased risk of flooding have sparked resistance in places like Jammu and Mangaluru. As cities explore these developments, the challenge remains: how to balance urban growth with environmental preservation, ensuring these projects benefit both communities and ecosystems.

भारत के शहरों में नदी के किनारे विकास तेजी से हो रहा है, जैसे कोटा में चंबल नदी के किनारे का प्रोजेक्ट, जो नदी के आसपास के इलाकों को सामुदायिक स्थानों में बदलने की कोशिश कर रहा है। लेकिन जैव विविधता के नुकसान और बाढ़ के खतरे बढ़ने की वजह से जम्मू और मंगलूरु जैसे स्थानों पर इस पर विरोध भी देखने को मिल रहा है। शहरों के लिए यह बड़ा सवाल है कि वे शहरी विकास और पर्यावरण संरक्षण के बीच संतुलन कैसे बनाएँ, ताकि ये परियोजनाएँ समुदाय और प्रकृति दोनों के लिए फायदे लेकर आएं।

With India’s small cities now making the list of most polluted places, solutions can’t just focus on the usual suspects. Indore’s plan to power city buses with Bio-CNG from organic waste could set a new standard—if waste segregation doesn’t derail it. As more cities consider similar approaches, can clean fuel truly become the future of urban transport, or will practical hurdles keep it from taking off?

Public transport in smaller Indian cities was already struggling before COVID-19. But what did the pandemic do to these travel patterns? It sparked shifts in how people move, revealing new trends in private vehicle use and non-motorised transport. These changes carry both opportunities and challenges, especially outside major metros.

Indian cities are making waves in global rankings, but the results can be puzzling. While Hyderabad and Bengaluru top growth charts, they lag in innovation and quality of life. With numerous indices measuring everything from economic potential to mobility, Indian cities often find themselves on different ends of the spectrum. But do these rankings really reflect urban realities, or is there more to the story?

Despite being integral to India’s urban landscape, smaller cities often get overlooked in both academic and online knowledge resources. While big cities dominate research and Wikipedia pages, small cities remain under-represented. To bridge this gap, Nagrika launched “Nagarpedia” — a community-driven initiative encouraging citizens to enrich Wikipedia’s city pages with credible, local insights. After all, who better to contribute than those who truly know their own city?

Cooperative banks in India, initially formed to cater to underserved communities, are now facing pressures to commercialise and compete with larger, profit-driven banks. While their growth reflects trust and success, the shift towards commercial models threatens the social welfare principles that founded them. The question remains: Should cooperatives evolve into commercial entities, or should they stay rooted in community service, preserving their founding ideals? The future