The research paper investigates and assesses the politics, limitations, and failures that have plagued plans to fundamentally restructure the urban fabric of Mumbai’s so-called slums. Politics is understood here as an amalgam of practices connected with structures and strategies that are not only top-down (originating from the state machinery), but also bottom-up (originating from non-governmental organizations and residents). The present study departs from the standardized tactics of trying to “fix” slums and argues in favor of methods for bringing about positive change in slums. The analysis uses one particular case study, Dharavi as seen through a series of everyday events, to demonstrate how media act as a powerful mechanism for spatial transformation.

Dharavi is known as the largest slum in India and one of the most densely populated areas in Asia, with more than 700,000 people living within a space of 1.75 sq. km. Located in the geographical center of Mumbai, an industrial city of almost 19 million people, it has been in the spotlight of visions for a future slum-free city. Thus plans to change Dharavi’s urban fabric have driven political agendas, especially after 2000. Rethinking Dharavi requires acknowledging its complexity and adopting different lenses for examining the hurdles that any far-reaching plan for change must confront.