Apil KC

Apil KC

PhD candidate in urban and regional planning with research interests in climate change, disaster, urban resilience and governance.

Blog posts

2019

What ails heritage reconstruction?

7 minute read

Published:

The 2015 great earthquakes had a major impact on cultural heritage. Hundreds of monuments, including palaces, temples, monasteries, chaityas, bahals, sattals and patis collapsed and many were badly damaged. According to the preliminary report of Department of Archaeology (DOA), the earthquake had affected as many as 745 monuments in 20 districts. UNESCO world heritage sites—three Durbar Squares of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, Swayambhunath, Boudhanath, Pashupatinath and Changu Narayan—also suffered damage. Read more

2016

Debunking Smartness of the City

5 minute read

Published:

With a vague set of guidelines and widespread political pomposity, we are often told that the majority of Nepal’s population now lives in urban areas. Yet most municipalities lack even the most basic physical infrastructure, let alone public amenities such as parks or museums. The governability of municipal institutions is already in serious question. In this context of infrastructural disorder and limited institutional and financial capacity, the term “Smart City” has been introduced as a supposed solution by political and bureaucratic actors. Read more