In Mumbai, a tight-knit community of Ismaili Muslims are beginning work on their 16.5 acres redevelopment project. The cluster of land, which is said to be in the heart of the city's southern tip, is to be completed by 2017.
"Bhendi Bazaar is home to the Dawoodi Bohras, a community of Muslims led by the 52nd Dai His Holiness Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin," says Carrie Baptist.
This community-driven project that will reshape the neighborhood will include plans to build mixed-use towers, with large public spaces and parking lots for cars.
"Overseen by the Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust, the plan will re-house 25,000 people and 1,200 commercial establishments at no cost to the current inhabitants, giving each household full ownership of a 350 square-foot flat. It is a "no profit, no loss" project, as construction costs will be offset by profits from the construction of four towers - with parking, a mall and market-sale apartments - on 20 percent of the plot. Not only will this development be the first of its kind in Mumbai, but it will also change the face of the main city, as the area borders a main highway in southern Mumbai," says Baptist
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