Author Archives: Karthik Rao-Cavale

The choices we face

Posted on December 29, 2012

Even as we unite in our grief over the death of the anonymous victim of the now-famous Delhi rape case who died yesterday, I don’t think it is too early to be cognizant of the choices in front of us. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Taming street-people: India’s grand civilizational project

Posted on July 18, 2011

A status message by a friend on Facebook has had me thinking for many weeks now. He wrote: Ranchi is an amazing city. In my first 30 minutes there, two schoolchildren, one bike rider and a goat tried to kill … Continue reading →

Posted in Car-free streets, Equity in Planning, Indian National Movement, Mumbai, Planning History, Ranchi, Safety, Skywalk, social spaces, Street Vendors, Suburban Rail | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

How much more should we give up for parking?

Posted on July 4, 2011

I have written previously about parking spots replacing parks and playgrounds in cities like Bangalore and Chennai. Now we learn that even houses will be demolished and river beds covered up to make parking lots. It is time we asked … Continue reading →

Posted in Chennai, Flood Mitigation, Parking | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Models of parking provision in urban India

Posted on June 2, 2011

Mumbai’s parking policy gives builders FSI incentives to build public parking (source: indianurbaninfrastructure.com) It is incontestable that there is a shortage of parking in Indian cities. One only needs to look at the number of vehicles parked on the streets … Continue reading →

Posted in Aizawl, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Parking | 2 Comments

On expertise and public participation

Posted on May 20, 2011

It appears that the folks at the Lucknow Municipal Corporation have a curious notion of the meaning and purpose of public participation. When their funding proposals under the centrally sponsored scheme for urban development (JNNURM) were rejected due to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 5 Comments

BOOK REVIEW: Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City

Posted on November 9, 2010

This review was originally written for a class I am taking with Prof. John Pucher here at Rutgers University. I am putting up this review here even though the book reviewed talks mainly about the United States, because I feel … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles, Gasoline Taxes, Highways, History, New York City, Safety, Street Vendors, Transportation Planning, Uncategorized, United States | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Governmental “informality” in India

Posted on November 9, 2010

I referred, last week, to this paper by Ananya Roy which argues that informality and the collapse of rule of law in India is not a result of the disdain that ungovernable masses have for law, but a result of … Continue reading →

Posted in commonwealth games, Delhi, Informality, Mumbai, Yamuna Floodplain | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

The benefits of being Obama

Posted on November 1, 2010

The latest news from Mumbai is that President Obama is about to visit, and all the routes he might possibly take are being beautified. Some of them are even being adorned with date palm trees, despite these trees being completely … Continue reading →

Posted in Informality, Local Government, Mumbai, Street Vendors | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Ringroading and Mumbai’s spatial structure

Posted on October 22, 2010

Mumbai is currently undergoing historic but unnoticed changes that might possibly alter its urban structure beyond anyone’s imagination. It’s monocentric structure that aligned the entire city towards the downtown in South Bombay is likely to change very soon. Indeed, this … Continue reading →

Posted in Airport, Highways, Land-use Planning, Metropolitan Government, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, New Towns, Suburbs, Transportation Planning | Tagged , | 3 Comments

The real failure of Delhi’s Commonwealth Games

Posted on October 1, 2010

Squatter settlements being hidden by Commonwealth Games boards (source: India Together) The past week has been brutal for Delhi’s Commonwealth Games, which is due to begin in a few days. BBC reported poor living facilities and unhygienic restrooms. Time.com ridiculed … Continue reading →

Posted in commonwealth games, Delhi, Equity in Planning, homeless persons, Needs of the poor | 10 Comments