How Do You Measure the Cost of Growth?

Recently, 400 acres of forest in Kancha Gachibowli—once the heart of the University of Hyderabad campus (and very much a part of the campus when I studied there)—were sold off for development.

As an alumna, this news stings.
Because it wasn’t just a forest.
It was home to a rich ecosystem—rare birds, reptiles, insects, native flora, and a certain kind of quiet that made the space feel alive.

But it was also where memories were made.
Long walks after lectures.
Shaded conversations under sprawling trees.
The gentle, unspoken rhythms of nature that grounded us during a time of becoming.

It’s the same feeling I had walking through the lanes of my childhood during my recent visit to India.
Hyderabad no longer feels like the city I once knew.

I understand the argument for progress.
Jobs.
Development.

Growth.
Yes, we need it.

But when we talk about development, what are we measuring?

How do you measure the cost of growth?
Are we counting square footage but forgetting soul?
Are we valuing infrastructure but ignoring ecosystems?

In systems thinking, we’re taught to look at interconnectedness—how every input affects an outcome elsewhere.
Cutting down a forest is never just about land.
It affects water tables.
Bird migration.
Heat pockets.
And yes—community memory.

We often ask: “What will we gain?”
But we rarely pause to ask:
What are we choosing to lose?”

Maybe we can build cities that honor the past as they make space for the future.
Maybe we can design growth with ecosystems in mind—not as an afterthought, but a central input.

Because sometimes, preserving stillness is also progress.