Gå ubegrenset med Magzter GOLD

Gå ubegrenset med Magzter GOLD

Få ubegrenset tilgang til over 9000 magasiner, aviser og premiumhistorier for bare

$149.99
 
$74.99/År

Prøve GULL - Gratis

The rise of Anywhere City

Hindustan Times Delhi

|

May 05, 2025

Is generic globalised architecture erasing the memory, identity, and character of Indian cities?

- Manoj Sharma

The rise of Anywhere City

NEW DELHI: Gurugram's skyline glints with mirrored facades, soaring office towers, and luxury condominiums—symbols of aspiration in a globalising India. But to many long-time residents, such as Rajesh Bhardwaj, the city's transformation feels oddly disorienting. Visitors often tell him it reminds them of Dubai. "And I wonder why that is a compliment," he asks. "Shouldn't Gurugram feel like Gurugram?"

Across the country—from Bengaluru and Pune to New Town Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad—a similar story of uniformity is unfolding. Cities are morphing into indistinguishable zones of glass-and-steel high-rises, all derived from the same architectural catalogue.

At first glance, you could be in Dubai. Or Singapore. Or anywhere, really.

What's vanishing in the process, say architects and urbanists, is more than just variety in form. It's the character of a city, its memory, and its cultural grounding.

"Globalisation has undoubtedly expanded the architectural imagination in India," says architect and urbanist Dikshu Kukreja. "But in our pursuit of a global visual language, we are rapidly losing the nuances that define our cities. Architecture must be rooted—not just in place-specific design, but in memory, community, and climate. When every city begins to resemble another, we risk erasing the very distinctiveness that makes each Indian city unique."

Architect Manit Rastogi shares the concern. "We're witnessing the erosion of place-based design. Architecture is becoming a universal product—exportable, scalable, but often contextually irrelevant," he says. "The essence of a place isn't just about looks—it's about how people inhabit space, how buildings respond to their environment, and

FLERE HISTORIER FRA Hindustan Times Delhi

Hindustan Times

Google says it has developed quantum computing algorithm in breakthrough

Google said it has developed a computer algorithm that points the way to practical applications for quantum computing and will be able to generate unique data for use with artificial intelligence.

time to read

1 min

October 23, 2025

Hindustan Times

NHRC NOTICE TO 3 STATES’ DGPs OVER ATTACK ON JOURNOS

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India, on Wednesday, took suo motu cognisance of reported attacks on three journalists in Kerala, Manipur, and Tripura.

time to read

1 min

October 23, 2025

Hindustan Times

Women in focus as Tejashwi vows job security, salary hike

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav announced on Wednesday that all contractual workers engaged in various Bihar government departments and around 200,000 \"community mobilisers\" among \"Jeevika Didis\" would be made permanent, and given a monthly salary of ₹30,000, if the INDIA bloc comes to power in the upcoming assembly elections.

time to read

2 mins

October 23, 2025

Hindustan Times

'Mini secretariats': Construction kicks off in five districts

The Delhi government has stepped up work on “mini secretariats” in five districts across the city—a flagship initiative announced earlier this year by chief minister Rekha Gupta.

time to read

1 min

October 23, 2025

Hindustan Times

Rohingya case points to legal vacuum on refugees

True character is revealed not in comfort, but in crisis. And India has passed that test before.

time to read

3 mins

October 23, 2025

Hindustan Times

LOW WIND SPEEDS KEEP CAPITAL'S AIR 'VERY POOR'; RELIEF UNLIKELY

Delhi's air quality remained \"very poor\" for the third consecutive day on Wednesday, deteriorating marginally as wind speeds dropped again.

time to read

1 min

October 23, 2025

Hindustan Times

IT ministry tightens rules for online content removal

The government has introduced new procedural safeguards to content takedown rules, restricting the power to senior officials and mandating reasoned orders with monthly reviews.

time to read

2 mins

October 23, 2025

Hindustan Times

Minors can, on reaching adulthood, cancel sale transactions made by guardians, says top court

The Supreme Court has ruled that minors, on attaining majority, can repudiate sale transactions executed by their guardians without the court's permission, and it is not mandatory for them to move court to cancel such sales.

time to read

3 mins

October 23, 2025

Hindustan Times

Hindustan Times

Why this season is looking very good for Arsenal so far

Gyökeres ends barren run with a brace as Gunners continue good run by dismantling Atletico

time to read

3 mins

October 23, 2025

Hindustan Times

Private sector can help address urban flooding

The torrential rains across India this monsoon once again exposed the deep vulnerabilities of its cities.

time to read

4 mins

October 23, 2025

Listen

Translate

Share

-
+

Change font size