The Dharavi neighborhood of Mumbai -- home to 600,000 residents -- is set to be razed and rebuilt under a massive redevelopment scheme.
If all goes to plan, by May next year, five consortia of property developers selected by [architect Mukesh Mehta] will begin to raze Dharavi to the ground. In its place will come high-rise blocks for its 600,000 inhabitants, an industrial park for its businesses, and gleaming commercial and residential developments for sale. For Mehta this comes after more than a decade's lobbying. "My motivation originally was purely profit," Mehta says; he proposed the scheme in 1997. "I was going there as a developer." Instead, city authorities appointed him as a consultant. It is India's most ambitious slum rehabilitation: the developers will make over $1.2bn profit, and Mehta will earn a $25m fee."
"Mehta is adamant the inhabitants will benefit. "We're telling the slum-dwellers: 'Instead of the 100sq ft space you are living in, you will have 225sq ft. Instead of sharing one toilet between 1,500, you will have your own toilet, running water, well-lit homes. We will provide schools, colleges and parks.' For somebody to say, in spite of this, people are going to protest, there's something wrong.
But [local workers and residents have nonetheless] joined the campaign to block the scheme."
FULL STORY: Asia's biggest slum set to turn into India's Madison Avenue
The Mall Is Dead — Long Live the Mall
The American shopping mall may be closer to its original vision than ever.
The Paradox of American Housing
How the tension between housing as an asset and as an essential good keeps the supply inadequate and costs high.
Report: Las Vegas, Houston Top List of Least Affordable Cities
The report assesses the availability of affordable rental units for low-income households.
Anchorage Leaders Debate Zoning Reform Plan
Last year, the city produced the fewest new housing units in a decade.
How to Protect Pedestrians With Disabilities
Public agencies don’t track traffic deaths and injuries involving disabled people, leaving a gap in data to guide safety interventions.
Colorado Town Fills Workforce Housing Need With ‘Dorm-Style’ Housing
Median rent in Steamboat Springs is $4,000 per month.
City of Yakima
City of Auburn
Baylands Development Inc.
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.