Utopia is a Place

Dharavi is widely considered the densest urban habitat on the planet. It also lacks the most basic public services. The future of the neighborhood is up in the air. Rather than rehabilitating and integrating the slum while taking into account the needs of residents, the state and municipal government are trying to appropriate and clear out their land for redevelopment. Once a fishing village on the periphery of Mumbai, Dharavi was swallowed by the city in 1956 and now sits on some of its most valuable land near a new business district and between two major railway lines.

Other efforts to implement infrastructure improvements also languish as developers and real estate speculators vie for approval to simply bulldoze the neighborhood. The rhetoric of how to handle “slum” reform is mired by private interests. But there is an empowering discourse emerging from the ideological gridlock over the future of Dharavi. A growing movement within the activist and urbanist community is trying to dispel the onerous “slum” classification in order to emphasize that Dharavi, among many other slums, are also incubators of enterprise and community. To give recognition to the full rights of the citizens who live in Dharavi, and more participation in the redevelopment process, requires searching for new ways to depict the neighborhood. “There is straightforward prejudice operating,” said Rahul Srivastava, cofounder of the experimental urban lab and action collective URBZ. “If you belong to a sociological marginal community in the city, then your habitat is almost de facto a slum… This attitude, this prejudiced eye, this treatment begins to leach all possibilities of improving civic infrastructure.” Momentum is growing to recognize Dharavi as an essential part of Mumbai, deserving of the public services that have been long promised, especially as the rest of the city continues to be transformed into a chaotic assemblage of walled compounds and malls mired in staggering traffic jams. In many ways, Dharavi is one of the most dynamic neighborhoods in Mumbai. It’s real face is one of hope and aspiration. Despite its designation as a slum, the economic output of cottage industries within the neighborhood reaches upwards to $1 billion annually. Homes are kept neat and tidy. Dharavi residents also recycle much of the city's trash, leaving experts to believe that Mumbai would quickly be buried in its own refuse without its help. Many residents want to build upon what is already there and let Dharavi adapt and improve itself in a manner that keeps the value of the neighborhood in their own hands. If the SRA expanded access to clean water, constructed more public toilets, and provided better sanitation services, vast improvements in quality of life could be quickly realized, encouraging residents to invest more in their community. Despite attempts to change the discourse regarding the future of Dharavi, the threat of imminent destruction remains. Rampant real estate speculation continues to warp the future of Mumbai and the fate of the neighborhood. Dharavi, long in the media and political spotlight, could be an excellent place to create a developmental model that exhibited sensitivity to residents and allowed their participation in an equitable redevelopment of their neighborhood. Matthew Niederhauser https://pulitzercenter.org/reporting/mumbais-smart-slum.

For more than two decades, the city of Mumbai has dreamed of transforming Dharavi — one of the world’s most complex and self-sufficient urban settlements. After years of failed plans, in 2022 the Government of Maharashtra finally awarded the redevelopment of Dharavi to a consortium led by Adani Group through a special purpose vehicle (SPV). [1][2] Under this plan, Dharavi will be rebuilt in phases over seven years, starting from the first construction certificate. Old homes will give way to high-rise towers and commercial districts designed to attract investors and new residents. Behind the language of progress lies a deeper transformation: the social and economic fabric that has sustained the neighborhood for generations is being replaced by a model that treats the city itself as a luxury commodity.

What the Plan Looks Like The redevelopment divides Dharavi into five sectors. The SPV — officially known as Dharavi Redevelopment Project Private Limited (DRPPL) — will execute in-situ rehabilitation for eligible residents while simultaneously developing free-sale residential and commercial properties both within and around the area. [3][4] Estimates suggest over 240 million square feet of total built-up area, of which approximately 100 million ft² will be for rehabilitation and 140 million ft² for free sale. Towers are expected to rise up to 30 storeys, including office spaces oriented toward the nearby Bandra–Kurla Complex (BKC). [5][6] Who Gets to Stay Eligibility for in-situ housing depends on the date of residence. Families who can prove they lived in Dharavi before January 1, 2000 qualify for free housing within the redevelopment. Those who settled between 2000 and 2011 are considered non-eligible and will be relocated to smaller units — around 300 ft² — outside Dharavi, within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). [7][8] The process is bureaucratically harsh: many residents lack consistent documentation or have lost papers during internal relocations, leaving them outside the eligibility system. [9] Where the Others Go Government plans identify sites such as Kurla Dairy Land and Deonar/Shivaji Nagar as relocation zones. [10] Deonar, located next to Mumbai’s vast landfill, has been criticized by environmental groups and media outlets for its poor air quality and health risks, raising concerns about environmental justice and public health. [11][12] What the Numbers Hide Officially, the plan speaks of dignity, modernity, and opportunity. But the reality is that many residents will lose not only their homes but also their workshops, suppliers, and social networks — the intricate infrastructure of everyday life that underpins Dharavi’s informal economy. [13] Redevelopment risks erasing this invisible web of relationships and replacing it with vertical anonymity. In the end, a new skyline will rise, clean and silent, while the hum of the old city fades into the distance. A City as a Luxury Object The Adani plan encapsulates a global logic: the urban landscape becomes a product to be consumed, and permanence becomes a privilege. The perfume of progress may be pleasant — but it carries the scent of displacement. References [1] Government of Maharashtra Housing Department, Dharavi Redevelopment Tender Documents, 2022. [2] Adani Realty official press release, Formation of DRPPL, 2023. [3] The Times of India: “Dharavi to be redeveloped in five sectors.” [4] The Secretariat of Maharashtra Urban Development, 2023. [5] The Economic Times: “FSI norms and financial model of Dharavi redevelopment.” [6] Magicbricks.com: “Residential and commercial segmentation in Dharavi Redevelopment Plan.” [7] The Economic Times: “Cut-off date and eligibility norms.” [8] The Indian Express: “Tenement sizes and housing allotment details.” [9] Mumbai Property Exchange: “Documentation challenges in rehabilitation.” [10] The Times of India: “Sites identified for non-eligible relocation.” [11] Mongabay-India: “Environmental risks around Deonar landfill.” [12] The Indian Express: “Health and displacement in Mumbai’s peripheries.” [13] Land Conflict Watch: “Socioeconomic implications of Dharavi redevelopment.”