Roads have been dug up, dust is in the air, and rehabilitation projects are all around Mumbai, which now looks like a continuous construction zone. A developing city needs infrastructure and building upgrades, but the haphazard way these projects are carried out raises fundamental questions about long-term sustainability, efficiency, and planning.
Even beyond the major infrastructure projects like the Metro and Coastal Road, Mumbai’s streets are constantly under construction. The same roads are excavated multiple times for different purposes—resurfacing, drainage upgrades, gas pipeline installation—resulting in duplicated costs and prolonged inconvenience for residents. This highlights a fundamental flaw within the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), where multiple agencies operate independently without coordination, leading to inefficiencies. The city functions as a collection of disconnected parts rather than an integrated whole.
The street design is another area where systematic planning is lacking. Water supply and drainage systems need to be upgraded in tandem with Mumbai’s fast redevelopment. To reduce interruptions, these enhancements should be applied using a design-first methodology. Dedicated culverts along road sides are one possible approach, enabling infrastructure upgrades and maintenance without requiring continuous road excavation. In addition to streamlining development, this approach—which is evident in places like Bengaluru’s Brookfield layout—also produces pedestrian-friendly areas. Such an organised strategy would guarantee systemic effectiveness and cut down on building waste.
Long-term reforms must focus on improving institutional accountability, but in the short term, collaboration with urban design experts can help create model pilot projects. Such initiatives would demonstrate the benefits of coordinated planning and provide a roadmap for future development.
The majority of Mumbai’s development is redevelopment. Although there are several models, including adaptive reuse and retrofitting, large-scale redevelopment is still the most popular. The Floor Space Index (FSI) and Development Control Regulations (DCR) are typically used to develop projects, frequently neglecting the surrounding urban fabric. Projects like “Upper Cuffe Parade” in Wadala and “Miami” in Mahim demonstrate the practice of branding developments as privileged enclaves, far off from their actual surroundings. This detachment from the urban is occasionally even promoted as a selling advantage.
However, redevelopment presents an opportunity for better urban integration. Every building—whether public or private relies on the city’s infrastructure and should be designed with a broader perspective. For instance, if commercial buildings along busy streets were allowed to extend their structures up to the road edge in exchange for dedicating the ground level as a public walkway, it could create continuous shaded pedestrian corridors. This concept already exists in Mumbai’s historic areas like Ballard Estate and the Fort precinct, yet modern developments fail to incorporate such urban-friendly elements.
Additionally, the environmental impact of construction projects should be taken into account. Cities all across the world have implemented policies including localised air quality monitoring at building sites and incentives for non-polluting building techniques, such as cutting back on dust-producing plastering. Mumbai’s building process, on the other hand, is still unaffected by its effects on the environment and public health.
Moving away from disjointed, disorganised projects and towards a more comprehensive, human-centered strategy is essential as Mumbai’s urban development unfolds. The existing paradigm runs the risk of deteriorating infrastructure and public health since it is fuelled by unrestrained real estate growth and ineffective municipal planning. Instead, using urban design principles—which emphasise economy and small, gradual improvements—can assist in building a city that is both livable and functional.
Source: The Indian Express
