Changing ideas about the suitability of ‘high or low density of population’ have misled city planners in India in the last fifty years. High density and compactness were common to Indian cities until the low density-high sprawl ideals of the Garden City concept influenced planning during and after British colonial rule. In the case of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, high and extremely high population densities are associated with poor living conditions in both, slum and non-slum areas in spite of low-density low FSI, and high sprawl – policies adopted for the region since the 1960s.

This paper traces the evolution of ‘high and extremely high density’ areas in various cities of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. It analyses the factors leading to the current unsustainable conditions. It also explores the possibility of providing a solution through innovative forms of urban architecture that can combine high population density with better living conditions.