Nepal, April 27 -- As Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) bulldozers roll along the banks of rivers such as the Bagmati and Bishnumati, it is not only brick and cement walls that are collapsing-what is also crumbling is a community's sense of belonging.

Beneath the rubble lie decades of history, the collective memory of thousands, and a living past. When television screens and social media show elderly people weeping as their lifelong earnings are destroyed before their eyes and young children clutching school bags, unsure which way to go home, a troubling question emerges: Can urban beautification come at the cost of human sensitivity? Is there no emotional dimension to this?

Findings from a study conducted eight years ago in the Khadi...