Background

Across many Indian cities, rapid urbanisation has brought with it a growing environmental challenge: the disappearance of genuine, accessible green spaces, particularly within densely populated informal settlements. Residents living in these communities are often left to face challenges with poor air quality, higher surface temperatures, overcrowding, and limited access to parks or vegetation, despite being among those most exposed to the effects of climate change. While large-scale urban greening initiatives continue to receive a lot of attention, smaller community-level interventions that can realistically be implemented within space-constrained neighbourhoods remain comparatively underexplored.

The need for such interventions is becoming increasingly urgent. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 99% of the global population breathes air that exceeds recommended air quality limits, with low- and middle-income countries experiencing the greatest burden. Meanwhile, the UN-Habitat World Cities Report 2024 highlights that expanding urban populations, combined with declining green cover, are contributing to rising urban heat and growing environmental inequalities across cities. In rapidly developing centres like Ahmedabad, these challenges tend to be felt the most within spaces where residents have fewer resources to adapt to worsening environmental conditions.

Recognising that any meaningful environmental change begins within communities themselves, CityHacks Collective (CHC) has been developed as an initiative that seeks to make urban sustainability more practical, accessible, and people-driven. Rather than focusing only on awareness, this humble project hopes to combine environmental education, partnerships, and low-cost solutions to help residents create healthier, cooler, and more liveable neighbourhoods. Through its efforts, CHC ultimately aims to show how environmental stewardship can very much become an achievable part of everyday urban life.