Environment and Urbanization ASIA

This study evaluates the gaps between urban and rural linkages within the corridor of Hoi An city and suggests potential solutions utilizing the circulating and ecological sphere principles for further strengthening these linkages and gradually promoting sustainable development of the city and surrounding area. A face-to-face interview method and an Origin 2018-based analysis were utilized to analyse the gaps between urban and rural linkages. Results were represented by ArcGIS 10.3 with a line diagram. The identified obstacles were (a) unequal distribution of human resources and income gaps, (b) poor basic and economic infrastructures, (c) a lack of interest in the agricultural sector and (d) the absence of corresponding policies. The suggested solutions were effective decentralization, raising investment for basic and economic infrastructures and sustainable agricultural systems, including tourism, value-added chain of network building and more focused and effective corresponding policies. This study also recommends optimizing synergies as well as reducing trade-offs between the proposed approach and the Sustainable Development Goals.

In this article, we examine the degree of urban primacy and understand what explains urban primacy in the Indian states.

We estimated Zipf’s law for Indian states for 2001 and 2011. We then regressed the urban population in the largest city in each state as dependent on various factors.

We find Kerala had the least primacy as of 2011, whereby its biggest city contained only 5% of its urban population. Based on the second-stage regression, we find that the state per capita income, population and length of railways have a significantly negative effect on primacy, while MSME employment increases it. We examine the highway network in selected states characterized by severe primacy and find a major problem with national transport priorities.

The policy implications are for improving the national highway network and rail routes in the states to increase MSME employment and increase state income to reduce primacy.

The relationship between local economic development and urbanization is a vital policy concern across the world, especially in the developing countries. The local economy exhibits enormous potential in the process of transformation of a rural area into an urban one. Based on the theoretical discourse of planetary and subaltern urbanization, this article explores the role of the local economy, even in the form of banal activities, in the process of urbanization of the Indian Sundarbans, a highly vulnerable part of the Ganga–Brahmaputra delta. For this study, we have relied on two facets of local economy—that of the local market centres, and the household economy of small towns. In the local market analysis, we have analysed market details such as the growth story of entrepreneurs, the function of shops in providing services and in developing their own profit level for sustenance and further growth. Household economy has been analysed from the perspective of changes in the occupational structure, nature of employment and household income in order to understand the surplus generation and reinvestment of the same as the local capital. This article is based on an intensive field survey that used the stratified random sampling method. A total number of 240 households and 100 shops have been surveyed from four towns. Both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection have been followed. The article argues that the local economy plays a key role in the urbanization process of the Indian Sundarbans, as the regional economy is gradually shifting from the farm to non-farm activities.

The lives and livelihoods of the people of Bangladesh are regularly threatened by natural disasters and climate dangers. Floods are the most common occurrence that puts people and their properties at risk. This study was conducted to assess the flood vulnerability of Chilmari upazila, which is located in Kurigram district of Bangladesh. Using a random sampling technique, primary data was obtained from 395 households in six unions of Chilmari upazila through a structured questionnaire survey. The Flood Vulnerability Index (FVI), an index-based approach, has been used to assess flood vulnerability. A set of 23 indicators has been fixed to assess four components of floods: physical, economic, social and environmental. Following this procedure, an FVI score was calculated for each of the unions (administrative unit of upazila) of Chilmari. Ashtamir Char, Nayerhat and Chilmari were designated as ‘very vulnerable’ based on the FVI study. Since these unions have relatively low levels of adjustability, coping ability and resilience, their sensitivity and vulnerability are high. Two of the unions of Chilamri are found to be highly vulnerable to floods and another to be generally vulnerable to floods. The results of the FVI analysis have been used to produce a flood vulnerability map of Chilmari upazila. As FVI consists of multi-dimensional indicators, the analysis can be used to pursue specific flood-mitigation measures in Chilmari.

This article tends to analyse the drought scenario of the Naogaon district in Bangladesh through groundwater potential zone modelling. The study’s findings illustrate that the maximum area covers a moderately potential groundwater zone. The study data also portrays various threats, including food insecurity and economic, social and environmental risks that were noticed as a consequence of the severe drought. The findings from the data indicate that the Porsha and Sapahar upazillas (sub-districts) of Naogaon district are more vulnerable zones in terms of drought. It is noteworthy that the people have been using indigenous knowledge to combat drought hazards. Local people are using crop calendars, agronomic management, water harvesting practices for less water-consuming crops and changes in occupation to manage the risks of drought in the study region.

The land pooling/readjustment (LP/R) technique has been extensively used for centuries for fostering planned urban development in various developing and developed countries. In the recent past LP/R models have emerged in several Indian states and cities as an alternate to compulsory land acquisition. These include land pooling in Raipur, Chhattisgarh through the Town Development Scheme - 2015, the land pooling policy for Delhi - 2013, land readjustment and land pooling in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra - 2014, and land pooling for Amravati, Andhra Pradesh - 2015. There are several factors that could adversely affect the implementation of LP/R projects and different situations would require different kinds of contextually relevant approaches for effective implementation of LP/R projects. Given the emerging LP/R models in several Indian states as an alternative to compulsory land acquisition, this article analyses the opportunities and constraints as recorded in literature around the world, with a focus on Asian countries, to identify the prerequisites and factors for effective and efficient implementation of the LP/R mechanism.

Sustainable development has become a global agenda that was institutionalized through the United Nations’ Millennium Declaration in 2000 and was later promoted by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of the 2030 Agenda emerged as a comprehensive global framework for fostering universal development, with a vision of ‘leaving no one behind’. Both India and Germany are committed towards the 2030 Agenda. In light of this commitment, this article attempts to understand the initiatives taken by both the countries and by Europe to monitor the progress towards the achievement of the targets at the local/city level. It tries to understand the challenges in an urban data ecosystem for monitoring the progress (or regress) of the SDGs within the geographies. Lastly, the article puts forward recommendations for the timely assessment of sustainability measures and it advocates for the generation of granular data on a regular basis.

This study assesses the influence of women’s bargaining power and the peer or neighbourhood effect on urban households’ investment behaviour towards home appliances, specifically refrigerators and air conditioners. The impact of women’s bargaining power has been demonstrated in different domains, including household expenditure/investment decisions, technology and clean fuel adoption, children’s education, and so on. Since women primarily operate household appliances, for example, refrigerators, we argue that the former could impact investment decisions related to appliances. Additionally, we study the neighbourhood effect as the acquisition and choice of appliances, vehicles, and new technologies and the reduction of household energy consumption heavily rely on information from the neighbours. This communication dynamic reduces perceived social and technological uncertainties related to the product. Therefore, we hypothesise that household appliance ownership accelerates when there is increased use in the neighbourhood. Analysis based on data from the Indian Human Development Survey (IHDS, 2005 & 2012) shows that women’s education and property ownership are positively related to refrigerator and air conditioner ownership. The neighbourhood effects on the same have also been found to be positive and significant. This study, in sum, provides new insights into the factors that influence urban households’ investment behaviour towards appliances, and in terms of policy implications, these findings could be useful in the promotion of energy-efficient home appliances as we are aiming for net zero emission in the decades to come.

Food and nutrition insecurity threatens the long-term sustainability of our planet and is a significant socio-environmental disruptor. The growing world population is placing an increasing demand for environment-friendly, nutritious, safe food. Alongside this, diet-related diseases are also becoming increasingly prevalent. The food and agriculture system of our time emits 17.3 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, with animal-based food production generating 57% of the total. Looking at these numbers, a growing conscience calls for a holistic food system that emphasizes saving the planet, preventing non-communicable diseases, offering food safety, ensuring nutritional adequacy, and developing sustainable food production practices. Plant-based diets are believed to solve all these problems and there is too much hype surrounding plant-based eating patterns on social media with the recent endorsement of influencers. It is undeniable that plant-based foods have tremendous future potential since they require fewer natural resources and are not detrimental to the environment. In addition, plant diets are reported to prevent and control non-communicable diseases. We propose three research questions in this context: (a) Are all plant-based foods equal in terms of health and environmental benefits? (b) Do these products meet acceptance, accessibility, and affordability requirements? (c) Does this process omit the immense nutritional benefit of other well-documented healthful dietary patterns such as the Mediterranean diet? We anticipate that the answers will supply valuable information to a broad range of stakeholders, including the public, global food production institutes, global nutrition bodies and researchers. Consequently, a well-rounded, economical, whole food-centred dietary approach can be formulated that will benefit us, our planet, and future generations.

The rapid increase in urbanization has been accompanied by an increasing population and threats posed by climate change to economic and social well-being. Hence, there is a need to reimagine urban infrastructure; it will need to withstand the effects of climate change and the burgeoning inequality in society. Such cultural and economic factors must be addressed through education and policy interventions that align with Mission Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE), which calls for a mass movement towards an environmentally conscious lifestyle. This article shall explore possibilities for India towards creating and transitioning towards resilient cities that complement the goals of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Agenda 2030 through LiFE-oriented behavioural changes, consumption and production patterns. Additionally, India’s G20 presidency has come at a crucial time when the task falls on the most populous state in the world to underline the need to reimagine city planning and urban expansion in the Global South. The G20 can use the platform offered by Urban20, a city diplomacy initiative instituted in 2017 to provide meaningful support to SDG 11 on Sustainable Cities and Communities with the aim of making cities and human settlements more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable.

The geographies of real estate, land redevelopment and capital play crucial roles in India’s contemporary urban place-making. There is a significant knowledge gap in understanding the role of real estate development and the linkages with capital, the pre-existing propertied business class, emerging markets, and associated aspects in the rapidly changing non-metropolitan, medium-sized cities’ (MSC) context. This study analyses urban transition in Siliguri, a fast-growing MSC in eastern India. Unlike the large megacities, real estate development here has witnessed a considerable capital shift in a speculative property market. Real estate growth is primarily led by the local business and propertied class that eventually emerged as developers. The efforts have resulted in urban place-making of newly built environments, consumption spaces and gated condos through the land redevelopment process.