Papers by Himadri Das
The Pandemic has impacted us as a society but for some the impact was in the form of a challenge ... more The Pandemic has impacted us as a society but for some the impact was in the form of a challenge to continue to bring food on the table for their families. The overwhelming majority of informal jobs that are part of the Indian GDP were impacted the most during the lockdowns imposed by the governments to control the spread of the Pandemic. Our focus is a group of Repairers in the city of Bengaluru who faced hardship because they primarily functioned from the street-side stalls and mobile units.
MyLiveableCity, 2020
Himadri Das and Benjamin John argue for an ecological and equitable approach to re-imagining citi... more Himadri Das and Benjamin John argue for an ecological and equitable approach to re-imagining cities. The Paper illustrates the case of Yelahanka in Bengaluru. The Serene and idyllic bio-diversity hub around a lake and an ancient settlement faces the threat of development due to increased FSI allocated to railway lands.
Teaching Documents by Himadri Das
Domus India, 2019
An article based on the Post Graduate Urban Design Studio work conducted at the R. V. C. A., Beng... more An article based on the Post Graduate Urban Design Studio work conducted at the R. V. C. A., Bengaluru in Feb-Jun 2017. The article is based on the text of Exploring a nature, culture and people approach to development vs an infrastructure led master-plan approach, case study on Karwar.
● Introduction The debate between local and global is reflected in the approach to development of... more ● Introduction The debate between local and global is reflected in the approach to development of cities in India. The local is dissipated, accretive and progresses in a slow non-linear manner and the global tends to be single-minded, rational and project-oriented. One is inclusive with a focus on organic growth and the other is focused on development goals and may sacrifice the place and the people for these. The central and the state governments of our country have a wide range of development programs at the district level for rural areas. These programs are inclusive and sensitive to remote context and gradual pace of implementation. However, it is the semi-urban or urban areas which bear the brunt of masterplan led approach. These tend to be heavily top-down rather than balanced. This phenomenon is particularly highlighted in the city of Karwar which is located at the cusp of an ancient trading port crisscrossed by modern-day infrastructure networks. The global and the local are acting in contra-position here, transforming the area. The transformation and the changes in Karwar impact not only the city but the forest in the basin as well as the adjoining rural areas. This leads to wider disconnection of people from places of engagement, places of cultural association and the disruption of natural linkages. What kind of urbanization is relevant in a city such as Karwar which reflects a complex layering of nature, culture and people?
Present-day cosmopolitan Bangalore is a gift of the PSUs, which not only contributed to the physi... more Present-day cosmopolitan Bangalore is a gift of the PSUs, which not only contributed to the physical evolution of the city but also acted as a gateway to invite populations from different parts of the country, particularly from the other states in the erstwhile Madras presidency, to the city. One can say that this phenomenon coupled with the existence of the cantonment contributes to the diverse demographic profile of Bangalore today. However, not so long ago these PSUs had reached a point where they had outlived their relevance. Some were already shut down while others were on the sick-industries list and still others were selling their assets to pay for dues. In August 2016 the government of India gave in-principle approval to prepare a database of the extent of lands and other assets of these PSUs. The idea was to document the extent of these lands and eventually open to strategic investors for sale. Although PSUs are spread across the country, those which are in land-starved cities like Mumbai and Bangalore are valuable real estate because of their prime location. So, these idyllic campuses with low-density housing, playgrounds, markets, schools, hospitals and factory-buildings are under threat. This is a particular cause for concern in cities, as these large campuses if redeveloped will add more people and consequently more pressure on already stressed infrastructure. The fact is, however, that PSU land being opened up to the market also poses an unprecedented opportunity to redevelop congested areas and refit them with adequate infrastructure while protecting local flora-fauna. The extensive lands made available from PSUs would tantamount to ‘another chance’ for our cities to make things right. It would be vital, in such a scenario, to ensure that these areas respect sustainable living, promote walking and cycling and at the same time leverage the real estate potential of these lands.
The Safe Access Manual (SAM) interactive workshop as a participatory tool
Conference Presentations by Himadri Das
A webinar presentation on Co-creating Smart Cities in India.
A Transit Oriented Development framework for Tier - II cities in India
A framework to implementing Transit Oriented Development in existing cities in India.
This work w... more A framework to implementing Transit Oriented Development in existing cities in India.
This work was the recipient of a ‘special recognition’ in the Volvo Sustainability Awards 2013
A product of WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities Urban Mobility: Balancing demand with Innovat... more A product of WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities Urban Mobility: Balancing demand with Innovation Session 14C
At the Ecocity World Summit Abu Dhabi 2015
Books by Himadri Das
A stitch in time, 2018
An illustrated children's book on repair. It recounts a day in the life of two children, discover... more An illustrated children's book on repair. It recounts a day in the life of two children, discovering the pleasures of repairing.
Drafts by Himadri Das
Submitted for Partial completion of PhD Coursework at CEPT University, 2023
This paper examines the key factors which have resulted in evolution of the mobile phone repair b... more This paper examines the key factors which have resulted in evolution of the mobile phone repair businesses in the city of Ahmedabad. This research approaches the change in trajectory from the perspective of challenges and resultant diversifications faced by the mobile repair businesses and the determinants for location as disaggregation led to setting up of new businesses in the extensions of the city. A structured questionnaire was administered to respondents from the repair businesses sampled through snow-balling method in Ahmedabad city, supported by a localized google search. A structured questionnaire was administered to respondents from the repair businesses. The main Challenges that emerged from the study are: Lack of technical expertise among mobile repairers, impact of online tools for growing and maintaining business, easy access to spares and parts while keeping upto date with changing technology and models. The main diversifications that emerged from the study are: disaggregation of the locations from the older hubs of mobile repair to new areas, dependency on online tools like Google listing and reviews for business, the emergence of mobile repair institutes, the impact of CoVID-19 that resulted in a boom for mobile repair business. What is also evident is the question of location, is still important, as customers want to go physically to the shops for repair.
Re-imagining MANEK CHOWK PRECINCT, 2016
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, in association with EMBARQ-WRJ India has conducted a study for R... more Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, in association with EMBARQ-WRJ India has conducted a study for Re-imagining/ Redevelopment of Manek Chowk precincts in Ahmedabad. Before moving ahead with the project planning, with a view to get feedback, comments and suggestions on the report from the public, the study report consisting pages C-1 to C-57 is uploaded on the AMC's website www.ahmedabadcity.gov.in Therefore, comments and suggestions on the report from the public, if any, are hereby invited by The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, on its e-mail id
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Papers by Himadri Das
Teaching Documents by Himadri Das
Conference Presentations by Himadri Das
This work was the recipient of a ‘special recognition’ in the Volvo Sustainability Awards 2013
At the Ecocity World Summit Abu Dhabi 2015
Books by Himadri Das
Drafts by Himadri Das
This work was the recipient of a ‘special recognition’ in the Volvo Sustainability Awards 2013
At the Ecocity World Summit Abu Dhabi 2015