Mumbai

Mumbai's hidden truth: Hungry stomachs grumble for the city's most vulnerable children

Mumbai's bursting-at-the-seams population growth is often all too easily explained: rural migrants come to the big city because "no one goes hungry here." The land-starved peninsula presents many other challenges, but food is everywhere: markets overflowing with vegetables are interspersed with street food vendors, who often sell their snacks for pennies. While access to food is less of an issue than in rural areas, affordable, nutritious food for the city's most vulnerable communities remains elusive. Read more or join the discussion.

Submitted by Carlin Carr — Mon, 10/14/2013 - 00:00

Chennai's new integrated transport plan promotes walking and cycling, and is an example for Mumbai to learn from

Mumbai's commuter woes are as oft discussed as scores to the latest cricket match. They are griped about daily and exchanged with fervor. Gridlock, overcrowded trains, non-existent east-west routes dominate the discussion and so do the controversial solutions on the table: sealinks, flyovers, monorails. Transportation activists such as Rishi Aggarwal, a research fellow at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and member of the Mumbai Transport Forum (MTF), says that one of the major issues is that there is no integrated approach to planning, leaving commuters with ad hoc, disconnected systems. Read more or join the discussion.

Submitted by Carlin Carr — Mon, 09/30/2013 - 00:00

An open Mumbai is a better Mumbai

I had the good fortune of walking along the Bandra waterfront in Mumbai last week with architect-activist P.K. Das, environmental journalist and neighborhood leader Darryl D'Monte, and Bandra Fort steward Arup Sarbadhikary. They were showing me some of the fruits of a long-standing effort to create more open space in Mumbai, where people can enjoy the outdoors and one of Mumbai's assets: its coastline. Read more.

Submitted by David Maddox — Fri, 09/27/2013 - 13:23

Community-led counting as bargaining chip

Dharavi Redevelopment Plan (DRP) stands physically at the center of the city and metaphorically at the nexus of a debate over the future of redevelopment. On the one hand is the government's grand scheme to join hands with private developers to rehouse the poor in free 225-square-foot flats, using the leftover space to construct luxury buildings that can be sold at market rates. Activists who stand opposed to this model say the DRP fails to acknowledge that the issue is more complex: the one-square kilometer is also home to thousands of small-scale businesses, often sharing spaces with residential plots. The mixed-use, low-rise settlement is a typology that many neighborhoods all over the world envy. Read more or join the discussion.

Submitted by Carlin Carr — Mon, 09/23/2013 - 00:00

How rural traditions influence the development of urban interventions: A case of women's reproductive health

Many rural traditions and customs carry over into urban life for India's migrant communities. Local festivals, artisanal expertise, and languages turn Mumbai's slums into vibrantly diverse amalgamations of India's villages. The city also offers greater freedom from the strict caste structures of rural areas, and the role and freedoms of women in Mumbai's slums often change as well. In fact, the autonomy that women gain as they move from rural to urban India provides insights into their healthcare choices, especially when it comes to reproductive care. Read more or join the discussion.

Submitted by Carlin Carr — Mon, 09/16/2013 - 00:00

Looking east for urban models

Researchers and urbanists from leading Western institutions have proposed interventions — both large and small — for "righting" India's megacities. In Mumbai, however, city planners have looked east for models, with the notion that cities with similar issues can provide more appropriate solutions. The idea of "Shanghai-ing" Mumbai has been one of the most talked-about examples, but more effort is being made all over the country to exchange across more local borders. Read more or join the discussion.

Submitted by Carlin Carr — Mon, 09/09/2013 - 00:00

Mumbai's municipal schools get first program to diagnose learning disabilities

Mumbai's public classrooms are a manifestation of the complexities that exist outside the school doors. Students suffer from poor nutrition, unstable family conditions, and economic pressures. Since many parents themselves are illiterate, few can offer homework help or guidance to their children. Not surprisingly, in this challenging environment, learning disabilities, one of the most invisible disabilities, go essentially undiagnosed. The result is that many students struggle through school with few extra services. In time, many drop out of school, abandoning their studies, causing a cycle of illiteracy and unemployment. Read more or join the discussion.

Submitted by Carlin Carr — Mon, 09/02/2013 - 00:00

What informal settlements can teach us about city planning

A growing movement of architects and urban planners are looking to informal settlements not simply to assess the breakdown in city planning but to inform it. Architect Sourav Kumar Biswas, the author of a new research study, "Play! Tactics & Strategies for Public Spaces in Mumbai's Informal City," says that Mumbai's low-rise, high-density settlements have a lot to teach us about creating a more livable city, especially for its youngest residents. Read more or join the discussion.

Submitted by Carlin Carr — Mon, 08/26/2013 - 00:00

Solar rickshaws pave the way for prototypes at mega-events in India

The 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi brought the world's attention to India. The major event was one of the first and largest of its kind to be held in the country. "A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games to date. It was also the largest international multi-sport event to be staged in Delhi and India, eclipsing the Asian Games in 1951 and 1982," according to statistics on the event. While the mega sporting event was rife with controversy, it also presented the opportunity for the city to test out new transport methods and for international organizations to introduce greener and cleaner ideas. Read more or join the discussion.

Submitted by Carlin Carr — Mon, 08/19/2013 - 00:00

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