Srinagar, July 28 -- There was a time when moving to the city meant you had made it.

City life in Kashmir once held the promise of modernity: better jobs, quicker access to services, and brighter futures for children.

For many families from remote districts, settling in towns like Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, or Sopore was a symbol of upward mobility.

Today, that promise feels more like a pressure.

The charm is fading under layers of smog, concrete, and chronic stress. Our cities, though full of ambition, are now draining us.

Urban stress - the unseen weight of noise, pollution, overcrowding, and social disconnection - is no longer a theory. It's a growing health crisis.

In Srinagar, the city where I serve as a public health offic...