Mapping the Himalayas - an interactive session with Dr. Ashim Manna
Mapping the Himalayas:
Climate, Development, and the Making of Fragile Ecologies
In the Indian Himalayas, development and infrastructure have become powerful forces of landscape transformation, often deepening ecological and social vulnerability.
This talk will examine how highways, hydropower projects, and urbanisation are reshaping high-altitude environments and everyday life in the Garhwal Himalayas—a region defined by steep terrain, cultural depth, and climatic fragility.
Drawing on mapping, visual ethnography, and archival research, it traces the evolution of settlements and resource systems across these mountain landscapes. By framing infrastructure as both a tool of extraction and a potential site for adaptation, Mapping the Himalayas reconsiders mountain regions as active, negotiated terrains rather than passive recipients of global change.
The talk invites reflection on how more adaptive, place-based approaches can guide the future of fragile ecologies in the Indian Himalayas
About the speaker: Dr. Ashim Kumar Manna
Ashim has a background in architecture and urbanism, with education from Jamia Millia Islamia, CEPT University, and KU Leuven. His work integrates urban design, landscape urbanism, and geospatial methods to explore how infrastructure and ecology intersect in shaping cities and regions.
As a researcher, he focuses on state-led development, climate adaptation, and urbanization in fragile ecosystems—examining resource systems, extraction zones, and environmental vulnerabilities through visual and cartographic methods.
He has contributed to urban projects across India and Asia and, as a PhD researcher at KU Leuven, investigated how landscapes shape development and adaptation in the Garhwal Himalayas.
Additional Details
There is no fee to join the session. We will have a voluntary donation box at the venue to support the programming.
The event is being hosted by Veditum India Foundation and Kolkata Change Makers.