Writing
Research & Writing
Published articles, policy essays, and urban planning research.
Bholakpur's Warming Pulse: A Decade of Urbanization and Heat
How Ward 88 in Hyderabad heated up 1.85°C in ten years
Bholakpur Ward 88 in Hyderabad has seen median land surface temperatures rise from 40.8°C to 42.7°C between 2014 and 2024 — a 1.85°C increase — despite slight gains in vegetation. Using satellite thermal data, this piece traces how concrete expansion and densification are driving heat in one of the city's most populated neighbourhoods.
Caught in the Heat Trap: How Urban Sprawl is Reshaping Life in Hyderabad's Kondapur Ward
Thermal inequity across income lines in Ward 104
In Hyderabad's Ward 104, rapid urbanization has pushed land surface temperatures from 47.5°C to 52.5°C over a decade. Dense, lower-income pockets like Premnagar experience disproportionately higher temperatures than affluent zones — a thermal map of inequality made visible through satellite imagery.
Tracking Urban Heat in Bellandur
How Bengaluru's IT boom turned villages into heat hotspots
Bellandur in Bengaluru's Ward 150 exemplifies how rapid IT-driven urbanization transforms thermal environments. Open areas register temperatures roughly 10°C hotter than surrounding zones, while lakes and tree-covered areas still function as natural cooling refuges — a pattern that reveals how much urban heat depends on what we choose to preserve.
Essays & Research
CUMTA: What Working Inside the System Taught Me About Urban Mobility
A Look at the Institutional Realities of Urban Transport Governance
When we talk about traffic problems in Indian cities, we think about visible issues like congestion or lack of buses. But from what I've experienced working within the ecosystem of Chennai's mobility planning, the real issue often lies elsewhere: it is governance.
Urban Governance in Indian Cities
Decentralisation, Institutional Fragmentation, and the 74th CAA
Three decades after the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act promised decentralisation, Indian urban local bodies remain structurally weak, fiscally constrained, and functionally fragmented. This essay examines why ULBs continue to struggle for meaningful autonomy and what institutional reforms are needed.
Improving Street Design and Public Space Systems
Lessons from Indian Cities for a Pedestrian-First Street Policy
Indian cities have been systematically designed for vehicles, not people. This essay argues for a fundamental shift in street design philosophy towards complete streets that prioritize pedestrian movement, public life, and equitable access.
Spatial Data Infrastructure for Urban Planning
Building GIS Capacity for Indian Urban Local Bodies
Most Indian ULBs lack the spatial data infrastructure needed for evidence-based planning. This essay examines what a minimal viable spatial data stack looks like for a mid-size Indian city and how to build it.
Mobility Systems in Emerging Indian Cities
From Street to Network: Rethinking Urban Transport Policy
India's tier-2 and tier-3 cities face a mobility inflection point: they are large enough to suffer serious congestion but not yet committed to the auto-centric infrastructure patterns that have locked larger metros into car dependence. This window must be used wisely.