June 18, 2025: Sustainable urban planning has become the new mantra in India’s development dictionary. From municipal plans to metro project brochures, the language of “green infrastructure,” “eco-friendly design,” and “resilient cities” is everywhere. Yet, in cities like Mumbai—where the ecological stakes are highest—the reality on the ground often stands in stark contrast to the vision laid out on paper.
Mumbai’s growth story is marked by a troubling erosion of its natural foundations. In just three decades, the city has lost nearly 42.5% of its green cover. A study published in Urban Forestry & Urban Greening notes that Mumbai’s green spaces shrank from 46.4% in 1988 to just 26.7% by 2018. Wetlands, once crucial buffers against flooding and biodiversity hotspots, have been similarly decimated—down by 71% between 1970 and 2014. This ecological degradation is not collateral damage of progress; it reflects a systemic failure to embed environmental planning into an urban development model that is visibly fraying.
Two infrastructure projects provide a glaring example of the contradiction—Aarey Metro Car Shed and Mumbai Coastal Road.
The Aarey forest, part of a 1,800-acre green zone adjoining Sanjay Gandhi National Park, is home to leopards, native trees, and vital watersheds. For years, it has functioned as a natural sponge for monsoon runoff. Yet despite public opposition and expert warnings, this ecologically sensitive area was chosen for the Metro Line 3 car shed. Between 2019 and 2023, over 2,000 trees were felled—many beyond officially approved numbers. While the project was positioned as a green mass transit solution, sustainability lies not just in infrastructure but in where and how it is built. The decision to cut down a forest for a “green” metro project exposes a deep disconnect between stated intent and actual implementation.
The Mumbai Coastal Road project is another case in point. Conceived to ease traffic congestion and improve connectivity, the project reclaimed 111 hectares from the Arabian Sea. While developers claim that over 70 hectares will be returned as public space and green promenades, the environmental damage is considerable and potentially irreversible. Intertidal zones have been disturbed, marine biodiversity displaced, and traditional fishing livelihoods disrupted. The project reflects a car-centric, concrete-heavy approach, missing an opportunity to prioritise climate-resilient urban planning, public transport, pedestrian spaces, and ecological restoration.
Beyond these flagship projects, the city continues to struggle with the basics of sustainable urbanism. Public transport remains severely congested. Waste management appears efficient in select pockets but is otherwise inadequate. Pedestrian infrastructure is largely absent, and public spaces are scarce. Environmental impact assessments are frequently expedited, poorly enforced, or treated as mere formalities. Too often, sustainability is retrofitted into projects after designs are finalised, rather than embedded at inception.
The results of this method are visible during each monsoon. Flooding has become more common in urban areas as green buffers have been lost and wetlands have been paved over. The effects of urban heat islands are worsening. According to Respirer Living Sciences’ March 2025 study, the average temperature in Mumbai’s suburbs, such as Vasai West and Ghatkopar, was 33.5°C, whereas the average temperature in greener areas, such as Powai, was only 20.4°C. With the loss of green space caused by concrete-heavy development, this obvious microclimate gap highlights how heat stress is worsening throughout the city.
This is not an argument against infrastructure or mobility solutions. Mumbai needs mass transit and connectivity. However environmental language cannot be used to greenwash infrastructure projects that damage vital ecological assets. That is short-termism with long-term consequences for an already climate-vulnerable city.
What must change?
Sustainability cannot be neglected any longer. Planning must be centred on thorough, open, and enforced environmental assessments. Public transportation investments must encompass non-motorized mobility, walkable streets, buses, and more than just metro lines. Wetlands, mangroves, and hills are examples of the city’s natural resources that should be viewed as essential to resilience rather than obstacles to growth.
Accountability must take the place of symbolism. Where is the green cover gain versus loss data? How much does new construction cost the environment? Are communities consulted in a meaningful way?
India continues to lose its primary forests, according to recent data from Global Forest Watch (2024). However, community-led restoration in the Nilgiris demonstrates that, with the correct assistance, recovery is achievable. Mumbai needs to do the same, not with catchphrases, but with systemic change and restoration that is indigenous and climate resilient. If the city aspires to global status, it must also lead on sustainability by making environmental responsibility the backbone of its master plans.
