Mumbai Development Plan 2034
The much-awaited Mumbai Development Plan (DP) 2034 was unveiled by the state government in May 2018 as and was put up for public suggestion.
The current version of the Mumbai development plan took everyone by surprise as it was significantly different from the Development Plan 2034 (DP 2034) that was passed in February 2018 by the Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
There were many changes/modifications and numerous new additions to the development plan passed by BMC. During the enforcement of the previous development plan the 1991 DP.
The objective was to address the then problems of the city such as the redevelopment of – slums, cessed buildings, and Maharashtra Housing and Development Authority (MHADA) colonies as well as promote/guide the new development of buildings on private land.
In Mumbai, around 7 million people live in slums, around 2.5 million people live in cessed buildings and around 1.2–1.5 million people live in MHADA colonies. The policies of the 1991 DP were intended to improve living standards and housing conditions.
Moreover, today the situation is quite different from that during the enforcement of the 1991 DP. It is not just slums or MHADA colonies or cessed buildings that are in desperate need of redevelopment, but private housing societies/buildings need redevelopment as well.
In Mumbai, within the BMC region, i.e. Dahisar to Churchgate and Mulund to Colaba, there are not many land parcels left and the only way for the city to progress forward is through the redevelopment of existing buildings.
Hence, the policies need to be framed accordingly so as to promote the redevelopment of all stakeholders in a sustainable way as well as to witness meaningful on-ground changes.
The current DP has several positives and in a way is a step in the right direction, but the implementation of some of the objectives may be a challenge.
From our analysis of DCPR 2034, we came across a few interesting aspects as well as a few shortcomings.
The development plan is a crucial policy document that can either promote or stifle the growth of a city; hence, it should be given paramount importance.
As Mumbai development plan is expected to govern and regulate all constructions till 2034, we strongly believe that these gaps should be filled through subsequent notification/updates at the earliest.
Also read: A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF THE SLUM REDEVELOPMENT MARKET IN MUMBAI