Authors: Rohit Kumar & Akshat Sogani
Published: 14th October, 2024 in The Hindu

This year’s summer shattered records in India, with red alerts issued nationwide. Over 200 lives were officially lost to heatwaves, but countless more went unrecorded. Delhi experienced an unprecedented 50+°C. With the progress of the monsoon and the memory of the extreme heat far behind us, we risk ignoring a critical warning.

In the last decade, urban areas in India have faced increasingly severe and frequent heatwaves, largely due to the urban heat island (UHI) effect. This phenomenon, where cities are significantly warmer than their rural counterparts, is driven by carbon-emitting human activities. Urban design exacerbates this effect, with concrete, asphalt, and glass structures retaining heat. In corporate hubs such as Gurugram, sleek glass buildings, while modern and attractive, trap heat and increase energy consumption. The reflections from these buildings and the lack of green cover further worsen conditions for those outside.

The marginalised bear the brunt

The severity of these issues demands immediate attention, as poor urban planning disproportionately affects marginalised communities. Delivery boys, who navigate city streets to meet the demand for online orders, face relentless heat with little relief. Auto drivers are directly exposed to the scorching heat of the day as they strive to earn a living. So do construction workers who are forced to work long hours outdoors, enduring the hot sun without adequate shade or hydration. Women domestic workers frequently travel by foot, and street vendors constantly battle the whims of the weather, with their earnings declining as foot traffic reduces due to the heat. These individuals face the harshest consequences of poor urban planning. They are on the front lines, experiencing the direct impact of rising temperatures, poor air quality, and the scarcity of green spaces.

Poor urban planning remains unchecked in part because the privileged, who have more influence, are less affected. And technology is enabling this by lulling us into inaction. In air-conditioned environments, the comforts provided by technology further insulate the privileged from the harsh realities of urban life, diminishing their incentive to push for change. Grocery delivery apps reduce the need to step outside for basic needs. For even minor repairs, we turn to apps for doorstep services, and ride-hailing apps encourage us to take cabs for short distances. This unintended consequence of our thriving app ecosystem, built on a labour surplus economy, has not been widely discussed in public discourse and warrants a deeper examination for its societal implications.

Our tech-enabled ecosystem has redefined the concept of “luxury”, creating a comfort trap that reduces our motivation to engage with the outside world. It has led to greater human domestication and a detachment from the environment around us. Tech coupled with privilege has also invisibilised labour, which is making us lose our empathy. In service complexes, guards receive deliveries at building gates, reducing our interaction with the people who serve us. In all these instances, a common theme is that the urban elite are willing to pay a premium to trade discomfort for convenience. Unfortunately, the insulation of the upper classes from the external environment has profound implications for urban governance and the local economy.

When the privileged encounter issues like poor public services or inadequate infrastructure, these problems are more likely to gain media attention and prompt governmental action. For instance, the recent flash storm in Delhi filled many posh basements and even MP houses in Lutyen’s Delhi. This led to swift action from authorities and water pumps were commanded into action to pump out the water. Similarly, public schools often lack resources because the affluent prefer private institutions, and public transportation receives less focus and funding as the elite avoid using it.

Even more worrisome is the fact that we are entering a vicious cycle. While heatwaves force people indoors, technology enables this behaviour, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy: worsening urban conditions make outdoor engagement unbearable which further increases reliance on technology. As a result, the wealthy demand fewer public service improvements, making cities less livable for everyone.

The broader societal implications of this change are alarming. As technology is integrating further into our lives, it is reshaping our expectations of urban living. But this intergration is not improving the quality of life for the general populace. Instead, it is aggravating existing inequalities and creating new ones.

The need to reconnect

The real challenge lies in breaking free from this comfort trap. Reconnecting with our cities and each other is not just a noble goal, it is essential for our collective survival. We have to snap out of our false sense of comfort and recognise that our world is changing in fundamental ways. We are losing our public spaces and our ability to enjoy outdoor activities due to increasingly frequent extreme weather events. The urban elite must, therefore, leverage their privilege to actively engage with governments and help improve living conditions in our cities. Only by confronting the true state of our urban areas can we hope to rebuild them as equitable, liveable spaces for all.

Let us not let convenience become the architect of our cities’ demise.

Rohit is the co-founder and Akshat is an Associate at Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) and The Quantum Hub (TQH) – a multi sectoral public policy firm.