by Hardik Bhimani, M.Arch 2020
Advisors: Chris Falliers and Nataly Gattegno
Mumbai formerly called Bombay is a melting pot of cultures. It is the capital city of the Indian State of Maharashtra on the west coast of India. The mesmerizing metropolitan is a cluster of seven islands with a population density of 73000 people per square mile. Slowly people made way to the city lured by the promise of business opportunities and religious freedom. Due to this increasing density, acres of mangroves and wetlands have been reclaimed over the years starting from 1671 till the day. Over the years the migrant population prospered, therefore land was reclaimed, and thus began transformation into the industrial hub and bustling metropolis.
This project envisages Mumbai which is at the risk of sea level rise returning to its original archipelago with strategic planning. By 2050, due to sea level rise there would be flooding resulting to shortage of land where this project imagines Mumbai transforming back to the archipelago with a population of 24 million.
Worli Koliwada is one of the earliest fishing villages in Mumbai that stretches along the Worli coastline which is one of the original 7 island. The goal of the project is to strategically accommodate 1 million people on the Worli Island of Mumbai over time, which is predicted to have 100 storeys through a hierarchy of open spaces and spatial organization. This new of city of cohabitation, infrastructure and civic spaces will also extend surrounding the island in the waters and along the Sea link bridge.
The design tries to address the question: How to preserve the local life and the city fabric and make it continue? It combines houses of different sizes that is derived from the local house unit trying to make it compact, intimate and memorable neighborhood. The design is developed through community-oriented spaces and different typologies with areas of pause, encouraging social interaction. The ground level consists of existing public spaces mainly the market and various vendor stalls which connects to the housing units from the ground itself. It will create opportunities for retail space and allow the Koli community to teach about and sell their product. Different levels of ground are being re-created, creating an atmosphere that was present on the ground level like social interaction, various activities for children and the openness. The shared open spaces and the range of scale lend dynamism and activation to these ‘in-between’ spaces. They provide various opportunities of group study areas, outdoor classrooms, play area, areas of gathering for performances, games, and festivals similar to that on the ground. The different typologies are arranged around a central core that cater to different family sizes. The arrangement of the units help create different grounds and open spaces that serve well for light and ventilation.
This project is a typology of one island which will be constructed on all 7 islands that acts as hyper-dense micro-cities in anticipation of inevitable sea level rise.