Author: Kartik
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The Digital Ecologies of Animal Display
Kartik Chugh The lockdown induced by the coronavirus pandemic witnessed a rather fascinating development in which wildlife cams gained unprecedented popularity. Millions of viewers tuned into the live streams of nest-cams, bird-cams, and crittercams to watch the compelling drama of animal life unfold. Zoos and aquariums also broadcasted live shows to keep the viewers gripped.…
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The Geographies of Animal Display
By citing various modes of animal exhibitions, this article demonstrates some of the ways in which animals have been represented in the circuits of natural history. Kartik Chugh Reliance Industries recently announced that they are establishing what they claim to be the world’s largest zoo in Jamnagar, Gujarat. On display would be more than a…
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The Circulation of Toxicity Between Urban and Peri-urban Frontiers
Using a flow-based approach, this article uses the example of water in Ghaziabad in an attempt to reveal how toxicity is circulated and re-circulated between the urban and the peri-urban. Kartik Chugh Development and Peri-urbanisation Since the economic liberalization in 1991, India has experienced an upsurge in urbanization. In 2019, 34.5% of India’s total population…
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Complexities Associated with Urban Waste Reuse and Access
Kartik Chugh There are numerous benefits associated with the use of biodegradable urban waste as an input into agricultural production. As I’ve revealed in my earlier blog, the practice of reusing urban waste supports the livelihoods of many periurban farmers since it provides them with a reliable source of fertilizer and irrigation. Moreover, these practices…
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Urban Waste Reuse in Peri-urban Agriculture
Kartik Chugh Over the last few decades, we have witnessed more and more people migrating to urban centres. The growth of urban population has put cities under pressure. Consequently, cities have expanded their range. The process of urbanisation and industrialisation has resulted in the encroachment of peri-urban areas adjacent to the city. At the same…
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Whose City? Whose Commons?: Urbanization and the fate of (Peri) Urban Commons in India
Factors such as urbanization have led to the depletion of Common Property Resources, affecting the livelihoods of many who depend on them for sustenance. Kartik Chugh(Research Intern, CUES-TIGR2ESS) The demise of CPRs Common property resources (CPRs) can be understood as natural resources of a community where every member has access and non-exclusive property/usage rights to…
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The Peri-Urban Interface: Development and land-use Politics
Kartik Chugh(Research Intern, CUES-TIGR2ESS) Towards Peri-urbanisation Through a Development Lens After decolonization, the world was divided into the developed and undeveloped world. The economic disparity between the First and the Third world generated the vision of development. Like many other developing countries, the Indian subcontinent after gaining independence initiated a Nationalist Development Project based on…
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Theorising Peri-Urban: Moving towards a Political Ecology Perspective
Kartik Chugh A review of the literature suggests that there is no consensus on a single definition of the word “peri-urban”. Different authors have defined the peri-urban according to their needs and scope of work. However, they all agree that peri-urban is an area situated at the periphery of a city, having attributes of both…
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Plant-Pollinator Interactions at Dheerpur Wetland Project Site
Kartik Chugh After almost 5 months in the lockdown, the operations at the Centre for Urban Ecology and Sustainability (CUES) resumed, albeit slowly. Recently, while working at Dheerpur Wetland Project Site (DWPS), two of my colleagues found out that the flowers of Oroxylum indicum tree had started blooming. The news got us pretty excited because…
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More-than-human Cities: On Urban Design and Nonhuman Agency
Kartik Chugh The modern cities are usually imagined as purified spaces of human existence, a humanist citadel, constructed by humans and for humans alone. The rapid urbanization fueled by capitalist development project proceeds without any regard for nonhumans. In its classical sense, urbanization transforms empty, unproductive wastelands into improved lands through a process called development…