Massatin: Father Gareth Jenkins and a Community Beyond the Road
Inside Massatin, Liberia’s isolated community for leprosy survivors, where decades of stigma meet quiet resilience. A photographic essay by Fer Mugica.
Urban Health Is a Major Crisis—How City Planners Need to Think
Photo: Rahib Yaqubov A city planning department can hit every density target, transit-ridership goal and housing-completion number on its scorecard and still be making its residents sick. That is the uncomfortable finding running through recent public-health research: cities are not only engines of growth, they are machines that manufacture — or prevent — heat stress, […]
When the Climate Breaks: How a Warming Planet Is Reshaping Human Health and Migration
Climate change rarely announces itself as a health story today. It shows up instead as a heat wave, a failed harvest, a river that no longer stays inside its banks. But strip away the framing of melting ice caps and carbon graphs, and what’s left is a far more immediate and human problem: a warming […]
Reclaiming Utopian Urbanism: Lessons from Owen, Cadbury and Garnier for Contemporary Planning
Introduction: When Planning Had Moral Courage Urban planning today is deeply technical. We debate density thresholds, infrastructure deficits and mobility efficiency. Yet nineteenth- and early twentieth-century urban reformers framed the city not merely as a logistical challenge, but as a moral project. The experiments of Robert Owen, George Cadbury and Tony Garnier were not naïve […]
Tackling Delhi’s Air Pollution Crisis: Integrating Local and Global Insights
Delhi’s air pollution crisis is emblematic of urban environmental challenges worldwide, characterized by dangerously high concentrations of particulate matter and persistent exposure to toxic air, especially during winter months. In October 2025, Delhi recorded AQI levels firmly in the “Very Unhealthy” to “Hazardous” category, sparking renewed scientific and policy debates on mitigation strategies (AQI.in, 2025; […]
From Happy Neighbourhoods to Happy Cities: Embedding Happiness in India’s Urban Master Plans
Introduction In recent years, the importance of happiness and well-being has increasingly been recognized in the context of urban development and public policy. Traditional metrics of progress, such as GDP and infrastructure indices, often fail to capture the psychological and social dimensions of urban life. India, currently undergoing rapid urbanisation, is at a critical juncture […]
Clarence Perry’s Neighbourhood Concept and Its Relevance to the 15-Minute City Concept
Introduction The evolution of urban planning has consistently been marked by innovative concepts aimed at enhancing livability and sustainability in urban environments. Clarence Perry’s neighborhood unit concept, formulated in the early 20th century, has been a foundational influence in planning, advocating for self-contained neighborhoods designed to meet the needs of modern living. In recent years, […]
Exploring Psychogeography: Its Impact on Cognitive Functioning
Psychogeography, a dynamic interdisciplinary field, explores the intricate relationship between geographical spaces and human psychology. As urban environments proliferate, the need to understand their impact on cognitive functioning becomes increasingly critical. This article aims to explore how the design and layout of urban landscapes influence mental processes, highlighting implications for urban design and mental well-being. […]
The Role of Urban Public Spaces in Promoting Physical Activity and Health
As urbanization continues to refine the landscapes in which we live, the role of urban design in public health, particularly regarding physical activity, becomes increasingly prominent. With over half of the global population residing in urban areas, the design of these environments heavily influences their health outcomes. In 2022, statistics revealed that 1 in 8 […]
Cultivating Resilience: The Role of Urban Planning in Sustainable Urban Food Systems
Urban food systems are critical components of sustainable city development, closely interlinked with urban planning and design. As cities grow rapidly, ensuring food security while maintaining environmental sustainability poses significant challenges. Urban planners and designers are increasingly called upon to incorporate sustainable food systems into their blueprints to enhance resilience and improve the quality of […]