Transforming An Indian Shantytown Into A Middle Class Neighborhood

India must eradicate its ubiquitous shantytowns if it is to become an economic success story. Just such an effort is underway in the Dharavi neighborhood outside Mumbai by Mukesh Mehta, an Indian architect and developer.

1 minute read

October 14, 2006, 9:00 AM PDT

By Irvin Dawid


"Mehta has created a seven-year, $2.1 billion plan to turn Bombay's Dharavi neighborhood -- Asia's largest slum of 600,000 people -- into a middle-class area that some experts say could become a model for slum redevelopment in other Indian cities."

Mehta hopes to raze Dharavi's existing ramshackle homes and shops and replace them with a new town complete with modern apartment buildings, parks, schools, markets, clinics, industrial parks, and even a cricket museum and an arts center.

" 'What is unique about this plan is its attempt to provide new, on-site housing for such a large number of families,' said Vinit Mukhija, assistant professor of urban planning at UCLA."

"Iqbal Chahal, the state official overseeing the massive project, said Dharavi's 535-acre marshland will be transformed mainly by private developers. In exchange for land, they will be required to build 225-square-foot apartments for families. Profits will come later by selling additional apartments at market rates. Until the new homes are complete, slum dwellers will live in free temporary housing."

"But critics call the plan simplistic and suspect its real aim is to appropriate land that has become extremely valuable given the slum's proximity to Bombay's domestic and international airports and a new, emerging business district. Social activists also cite the lack of involvement of slum dwellers in the project."

Thursday, October 12, 2006 in The San Francisco Chronicle

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Google street view image of strip mall in suburban Duncanville, Texas.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall

A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

7 hours ago - Parking Reform Network

Blue tarps covering tents set up by unhoused people along chain link fence on concrete sidewalk.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work

Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

July 6 - Next City

Aerial tram moving along cable in hilly area in Medellin, Colombia.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle

Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.

July 6 - InTransition Magazine