Cluster Development for Large Scale Redevelopment of Urban Habitat
Bhendi Bazaar Planned Redevelopment
Image of the planned redevelopment. (Source: Burhani Upliftment Trust)

Abbas Master, CEO, Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust
Girish Dravid, Director, Sterling Engineering

The paper explores the possibility of redeveloping the old tenanted inner city areas of Mumbai in a planned & inclusive manner through cluster redevelopment scheme. Further, it analysis various features of a pilot project being executed under this scheme in Bhendi Bazaar, Mumbai.

History of Mumbai

From a group of seven islands to a strategic port and eventually the financial capital of world's largest democracy - Mumbai has come a long way in the past three hundred years.

18th century marked the rapid growth of the city, when hinterland was connected to Mumbai by rail. Subsequently, many construction projects were undertaken to cater to the needs of flourishing markets and economic opportunities. Various business communities such as the Gujaratis, Marwaries, Sindhis, Parsis, Katchis, Dawoodi Bohras and Memons moved to the city from across the country to set-up their businesses.

To fuel the engines of commerce, labourers came from across the country. These labourers lived in settlements that grew parallel to the docks, Bhendi Bazaar (the project area) being one of them. The land owners and factory owners constructed rental dormitory-style tenements with common lavatories called 'Chawls' for the labourers and other migrants. Eventually, the immigrants brought their families in these single-room accommodations drastically increasing the density of the area. During the second world war 'Rent-control Act' was introduced which rendered these Chawls unprofitable for landlords. The meager rent acted as a deterrent for the repairs and maintenance of existing Chawls. In 1969, there were about 20,000 Chawls in dilapidated conditions, housing two million people (Dua 1992).

Present Day Mumbai, the Economic Growth - the Problem of Housing and Infrastructure
Today, Mumbai is the entertainment, fashion and commercial center of India. It is also one of the world's top 10 centers of commerce in terms of global financial flow. Mumbai accounts for 30% of income tax collections, 60% of customs duty collections, 20% of central excise tax collections, 40% of foreign trade and `40,000 crore (US $10 billion) in corporate taxes to the Indian economy. Mumbai is the world's 29th largest city by GDP, and with a population of approximately 23 million (Sankhe et al. 2010) people spread over about 600 sq. kms, it is the 3rd most densely populated besides being the 8th most populated city in the world. Mumbai's (MMR) GDP is expected to reach 11.9 trillion rupees ($265 billion) by 2030, larger than GDP of many countries today, including Portugal, Columbia and Malaysia (Sankhe et al. 2010). The population is expected to grow to 33 million by 2030 (Sankhe et al. 2010).

However, this financial success hasn't been inclusive. The old inner-city areas are plagued with century old deteriorating Chawls, narrow roads that make it difficult to walk let alone movement of vehicular traffic, lack of parking and open spaces, and access to only common toilets. The deteriorating living conditions have brought the area to a point of socio-economic stand still while the suburbs and other areas are growing rapidly.

However, due to the presence of one of the oldest and most prominent Central Business District (CBD), majority of population from suburbs travel to Island city daily. This area is well-connected through primary roads in both north-south and east-west direction (Project being in the center of this grid). Public transport services like buses are adequately available depending on the area (project site has bus stops at its periphery with buses in every 10 minutes to various location). All the three railways- central, western and harbor lines connect the island city to the rest of Mumbai (Project is within 2 km radius from all the 3 rail routes).

The city's economic boom attracts migrants in search of opportunities from across the country. This has led to acute shortage in low-income/mid-income housing; resulting in slums and pavement dwellers. Due to lack of space, most of the new developments are expanding vertically on small plots of land with no consideration for the wider infrastructure. 'Pencil Towers' have cropped-up at random, leaving inadequate infrastructure. These unplanned and scattered constructions aggravate the urban blight and add to the burden to an already stressed infrastructure. The governing bodies lack the resources to undertake large scale redevelopments on their own. The above makes a holistic, sustainable and inclusive urban planning model, the need of the hour.
This is a premium article available exclusively for our subscribers.
If you are already a subscriber, please Login
If not, subscribe now and get access to well researched articles & reports on infrastructure construction, equipment & machinery, innovations & technology, project reports, case studies, and more. All this by simply paying just ₹200/- for a month of complete portal access, or a discounted rate of ₹1000/- for a full year of access.
Fire in Tall Buildings An Overview of Resources
In 1800 B.C. the Amorite king, Hammurabi, took the throne of the new Babylonian dynasty and established an extensive law system which encompassed nearly every area of ancient life. The code of Hammurabi made the builder accountable for the houses

Read more ...

Need for Vertical Fire Fighting Solutions in High-Rise Buildings for Faster & Safer Evacuation
Despite the increasing number of fire accidents in high-rise buildings, Mumbai is still looking for answers to fire safety and evacuation measures. Once again, the city’s vertical development turned the spotlight on evacuation plans in high-rise buildings

Read more ...

Draft Revision of Code IS: 16700 for ‘Tall Concrete Buildings’
High-rises in India have reached 280m; 300m tall buildings are under construction, and 500m are at proposal stages. This recent development has pushed the need to stipulate Indian building codes. IS 16700 deals with tall buildings, but now, some

Read more ...

Stability of Tall Buildings
N. Munirudrappa, Professor of Civil Engineering (Retd), Bengaluru University, reveals the behavior of multi-storey buildings and structures of R.C.C and steel under Elastic Stability in his study on the stability of tall buildings

Read more ...

SALSETTE 27 Another Attractive Landmark
Work at the Salsette 27 high-rise residential project by Peninsula resumed after the lockdown restrictions were eased. On completion, Salsette 27 will add to the skyline of the city of Mumbai and will be viewed as yet another

Read more ...

SOBHA Winchester A Towering Inspiration
Indian cities are witnessing a steep growth in the number of high-rise structures owing to the increased migration of people to cities. With the advent of modern technology, constructing a high-rise building is perhaps

Read more ...

Prestige Trade Tower
High-rise buildings are built to achieve high density projects due to rapid growth of population and lack of available land for development. Their design is the outcome of various technological and social developments

Read more ...

The National Bank of Kuwait Tower An Iconic Engineering Marvel
Located on a prominent site in Kuwait City, the 300-meter-high, 60-floor tower, headquarters of the National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) is set to have a distinctive presence amongst other high-rise buildings in Sharq

Read more ...

LEED Certification and Sustainable Buildings
The LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement. Its purpose is to recognize buildings that have made attempts to create environmentally friendly building and provides a framework to create healthy

Read more ...

ITC Colombo One Towers in Sri Lanka
Welcom Hotels Lanka is currently setting up the ITC Colombo One Project at Colombo in Sri Lanka. The proposed project is located on the coast of Colombo, having the oceanfront on the west side and Beira Lake on the east. Gensler of Los Angeles

Read more ...

MVRDV completes first project in India, Future Towers, in Pune
Though "context-sensitive", "diverse", and "community-focused" may not be the first terms that come to mind when imagining a building that houses over 5,000 people, MVRDV's Future Towers is an attempt to upend those

Read more ...

Smart Cities: Planning & Implementation
Rudrabhishek Enterprises Limited (REPL), an Integrated Urban Development & Infrastructure consultant, has the assignment of preparing a detailed project report (DPR) and related

Read more ...

Unpacking Composite Construction: Global Trends
The construction of tall buildings has had a marked shift away from a North American dominance that has lasted from the first steel skyscrapers in New York and Chicago in the early 1900s until the emergence of a new

Read more ...

2017 Sets Records for Geographical Diversity, Number, and Height of Skyscrapers
The 2017 Tall Building Year in Review / Tall Buildings in Numbers data analysis report shows that more buildings of 200 meters’ height or greater were completed in 2017 than in any other year, with a total

Read more ...

Vertical Construction Equipment - Concrete Pumps, Tower Cranes, Man-n-Materials Hoist
To arrest cost and time overruns for project delivery to end-customers as per the new regulations in the real estate sector, and faced with a paucity of funds by developers, contracting companies are striving to meet their

Read more ...

COMPARITIVE STUDY OF G+30 MULTISTOREYED STEEL-CONCRETE COMPOSITE, RCC AND STEEL BUILDING USING TIME HISTORY ANALYSIS
In this present paper the comparative study of G+30 steel concrete composite, steel and RCC building is done using dynamic analysis i.e. time history analysis. Etabs structural package is used for the analysis

Read more ...

Torre Reforma: An Eye-catching Addition to the Skyline of Mexico City
Designed by Mexican architect L. Benjamin Romano Arquitects (LBRA) and engineered by Arup, ‘Torre Reforma,’ an iconic triangle-shaped tower, the tallest in Mexico, is not only striking in appearance, but also

Read more ...

Sky City
Sky City by Oberoi Realty located at Borivali (E) is a masterpiece par excellence, with thoughtfully chosen amenities, grand design aesthetics, beautifully carved out landscapes and acres of open spaces

Read more ...

Vertical Hospital Design
Vertical healthcare design is an emerging field with its own particular set of benefits and challenges. This building type will become more desirable and popular for reasons including the location of health

Read more ...