KRVIA UD | SEM7 | GHATKOPAR by K.R.V.I.A Urban Design 2021-2022

GHATKOPAR MUMBAI

UD STUDIO | SEMESTER - 7

Year of publication: 2021 College: Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute of Architecture Batch: 2018 - 2023 Guides: Aniruddha Paul, Arijit Sen, Aradhana Paralikar Akanksha Kamble: akankshakamble1620@gmail.com Dhriti Shah: dhritishah100@gmail.com Keyur Shah: keyurshah1999@gmail.com Lajja Mehta: lajjamehta1702@gmail.com Vruti Vora: vrutikvora@gmail.com

CONTENTS

1. GHATKOPAR AND MUMBAI 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Location plan 1.3 Pincode

2. TIMELINE & EVOLUTION 3. TRANSIT 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4

History of the streets Connectivity Vehicular network Pedestrian network

4. STREET SCAPE 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6

Rajawadi M. G. Road Hingwala Lane Station Roads Movement of fauna Markets and Vendors

5. TYPOLOGY 6. FLOODING 6.1 Climate 6.2 Topography 6.3 Flood prone zones 6.4 Effects of flood 6.5 Open ground and green cover

7. INSTITUTION 7.1 Health 7.2 Education 7.3 Influence of Institutions

8. CULTURE 8.1 Festivals & congregational spaces 8.2 Community and religious spaces

9. OBSERVATIONS AND STRATEGIES 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5

Population and occupation Concerns Vision Strategies Interventions on Masterplan

PREFACE The report is a part of the Urban Design Studio which studies the evolution of Ghatkopar, a central suburb in Mumbai, India. It traces the growth of the suburb at a neighbourhood scale and looks at various aspect and anchors that have help build its character today. The various observations and inferences about the suburb help us form various strategies and studies needed for the Architecture Design Studio

1. GHATKOPAR AND MUMBAI A suburb in the center of the city, Ghatkopar is a place that has acquired a lot of fame in the past few years. The place can be looked at as a puzzle that is joined together with a network of roads and transit lines

1.1 introduction

Historically, Ghatkopar gained importance because of the availability of space to raise families and for the clean atmosphere it offered for the people who were sick and could not stand the pollution in the city. There were several sanatoriums where people came to rest and recover. Besides the sanatoriums that offered that there were also several educational institutes that were present in the vicinity that behaved as an anchor for the people residing here. Over time, people engaged in business and opened establishments, most of which are still standing after eight plus decades.

Over the years development took place and modified the modest neighborhood to be a real catch in the real estate front. With the opening of one of the largest malls in the city, R-city and the laying of the metro line, along with the already present central railway, eastern express highway and an easy access to the freeway this suburb has really gone to become a culmination of several prominent transport networks. In the new day, what is hands down the most renowned thing about the place is the famous street food culture.

Ghatkopar falls into the central part of Mumbai and falls into the N-ward of the city. map source: https://www.bmcelections.com/bmc-new-ward-maps/

With a large foot traffic of students coming here the place boomed and gained prime importance. It has even reached the media and various food bloggers have recorded their experience here. The jewelry market here is known to be the second largest in the city and is another attraction for the people.

1.2 location plan There are three postal codes connected to Ghatkopar. 400077 for Ghatkopar (East), 400086 for Ghatkopar (West),Amrut Nagar and 400075 for Pant Nagar. The post office of Ghatkopar East is in Rajawadi. The post office for Ghatkopar West is right next to the Railway Station. Ghatkopar is in the N ward of Mumbai (previously referred to as Bombay) municipality. There is a large population of Gujaratis in Ghatkopar and the suburb is often referred to as mini-Gujarat. Rajawadi and Pant Nagar have large Marathi speaking populations. Garodia Nagar is diverse. Areas of Ghatkopar West bordering the neighboring Vikhroli suburb have a large Muslim population.

WEST

EAST

1.3 pincode There are three postal codes conected to Ghatkopar. 400077 for Ghatkopar (East), 400086 for Ghatkopar (West),Amrut Nagar and 400075 for Pant Nagar. The post office of Ghatkopar East is in Rajawadi. The post office for Ghatkopar West is right next to Railway Station

400084

400086

400075

400070 400084 400077

400089

400071

2. TIMELINE & EVOLUTION Ghatkopar has been developed on what was merely 200 years ago, a water body. Over time that portion of the land started getting reclaimed and the people started settling here with the arrival of the railway in 1877. Initially the area had a few clusters of goathans, popular ones being bhatwadi and kirol. A relatively cheaper land value and nearness to water and power mains enabled rapid industrial expansion of the suburbs and the Kurla-Ghatkopar–Vikhroli–Bhanup belt soon developed into the largest industrial zone in the suburbs of Mumbai. With time the government gave some of the land to the refugees. The sanitariums, healthy atmosphere, availability of space and the presence of several educational institutes drew people to this place.

maps through the years

1841

GHATKOPAR

1893

RA IL

WA Y

KURLA

CHEMBUR

1853 16 April 1853 - The first train was run by the Great Indian Peninsula Railway (now Central Railway) between Bori Bunder (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus) and Thane, a distance of 34 km, on 16 April 1853 at 15:35.Pass through Ghatkopar

1886 Tansa Scheme: The Municipal Corporation undertook the work of the Tansa Dam in January 1886. In November of the same year the construction of aqueduct works from Tansa to Ghatkopar (14 km. in length) was begun. The works originally estimated to supply 95 million liters of water per day through a duct 88 km. in length, were completed at a cost of Rs. 1.50 crores.

1910 A telephone exchange was opened at Ghatkopar in 1911. The exchanges were using the magneto equipment.

1916 By 1916, Ghatkopar had developed sufficiently that a municipal council for Ghatkopar-Kirol was set up. The administration was in charge of a Collector with the “Suburban District”.

1924 During 1922, the equipment at Central and Ghatkopar exchanges was converted into Central battery working. Automatic equipment was installed for the first time in Bombay on 24th May 1924 at Central and Gell Street exchanges with a total capacity of 11,000 lines.

1929 The Bombay Suburban Electric Supply Limited, established in 1929, are licensees under the Indian Electricity Act, 1910, for the supply and distribution of electricity in Ghatkopar.

The Ghatkopar and Bandra telephone exchanges were also converted into automatic working exchanges between 1928 and 1930. Rajawadi - Government owned land Sindhu wadi - Government owned land

1930

POWERLINE

1941 Canvas belt factory, Photo litho art press and Camphor factory.(1941) Sarvodaya - primarily a residential area with family buildings + gujarati and marathi chawls.

1945 During 1945, four new police stations, viz., Bandra, Kurla, Ghatkopar and Andheri were added to the existing ones.

1947

redevelopement newly built

1947

Rajawadi - colony for refugees (mainly worked in government sectors) - more cosmopolitan crowd - given a home.

1949 The Hindustan Ferodo, a comparatively larger unit manufacturing brake linings, clutch facings and other auto-parts, started production in 1949 at Ghatkopar.

1950 Rajawadi - Government lent it to refugees Sindhu wadi - Government lent it to refugees

1953 Municipal authorities constructed I at Ghatkopar. Pantnagar has most of the MHADA colony which now are under redevelopment by various builders like Gurukrupa,If one reads the Town Planning Scheme no. III (1954) for Ghatkopar, its for the first time the random plots have been bought and a proper grid of roads and plots have been set up.

redevelopement newly built

1953

Town planning scheme I : 1953

1950 - 1970 West• Chawls and bungalows • Marathi chawl where Zynova hospital is • Vicinity of Sarvodaya - milkman with 3-4 cows, barber, ironwala, paanwala • mostly businessmen (not always big) • Ambawadi - important - many mango trees - marshy trees [cut now] • people shifted for cleaner air - known for having sanitariums East • underdeveloped small buildings • Garodia - scary place - cotton shops • one storey homes - Gujarati and Marathi - one floor one family type of homes • Meghdoot hotel - Uday talkies and Irani bakery • one Hindi medium school - Hindi High School • two Gujarati medium school • SNDT college for women - established around 1960

redevelopement newly built

1960

Town planning scheme II : 1960

1957 16 villages with 23.4 sq. miles area were constituted into four municipal Boroughs, one of which was Ghatkopar Kirol village.

1959 Somaiya college

1959 The areas of Khar, Santacruz and Chembur were sewered. New outfalls were provided at Ghatkopar. SNDT college and other schools in Vidya - Vihar.

1969 A slum clearance scheme sponsored by the Government of India was undertaken by the Board.he area wise distribution of these tenements were 3,700; Ghatkopar. Rajawadi - people living there get ownership of their land.

redevelopement newly built

1969

Town planning scheme III : 1969

1970 The land was mainly covered by a khadi, which was filled up and Garodia Nagar came over the land filled up with water. 60 feet Road was named as Ratilal B. Mehta Road in 1970’s. Sarvodaya - temple complex - sarvodaya temple and sarvodaya hospital Garodia - land was reclaimed

1973-74 Important bridges in greater bombay, (1973-74) Bridge over the nalla at Mahatma Gandhi road near cemetery adjoining sewage purification and pump-house, Ghatkopar. This bridge was widened and reconstructed in 1969-70. Bridge over the water pipe line, Lal Bahadur Shastri marg (Agra road), Ghatkopar. This bridge is near Municipal Water Department and Workshop, Ghatkopar.

1974-75 Bombay District Central Cooperative Bank : This Bank was registered on 6th August 1974 and actually commenced its banking business on 12th February 1975. It has its branch at Ghatkopar. The Central Training Institute of home guards is located at Ghatkopar. It imparts advance training to the members of the organisation in the specialised subjects like fire-fighting, rescue, first-aid, etc., as such training facilities are not available at the district level. Naidu colony - 21 buildings as rehabilitation for slum dwellers from Dharavi, Sewri, Reay Road and other building collapses.

redevelopement newly built

1975

Garodia- bought by private builder- Garodia family and developed

1977 The Ramniranjan Jhunjhunwala Arts and Science College at Ghatkopar, the Ghatkopar Institute of Management and the Hindi High School, Ghatkopar, are the various educational institutions run by the society. The Ghatkopar Institute of Management conducts different diploma courses which are recognised by the Government of Maharashtra and the University of Bombay. The bus depot was built in 1977.

1981-82 The area-wise branches of Life Insurance Corporation in Greater Bombay during 1981-82 M. U. R. L. National Centre for the Blind, Pant Nagar, Ghatkopar(1982).

1984

redevelopement newly built

1991

Telephone exchange, equipped capacity And working lines of Bombay telephones as on 31st December 1984. The area to the east of the railway is more residential while a few large factories have come up; here have spring up in the last decade numerous middle and low income housing colonies and nagars on low, reclaimed ground. Of them, Ghatkopar-Rajawadi is better class, while Vikhroli and Bhandup have low income housing and squatter colonies, constituting large slums.

2005

redevelopement newly built

2005

New residential projects Residential buildings: Kukreja palace Gauri shankar wadi Neelyog apartments Neelyog residency

2009 Kanara business centre (commercial building)

2010 Sudha park (residential) Commercial buildings: Neelyog square Sai infotech Construction of east-west bridge

2013 Skywalks near east and west ghatkopar station

2014 Mumbai Metro [from Ghatkopar to Versova] Pantnagar fish market (Suchita business park)

redevelopement newly built

2014

Residential building redevelopment

2019 Upcoming new metro on 90FT road Major redevelopment in various areas: Mhada redevelopment by various private developers like gurukrupa, MICl, aditya developers, mohite developers Upcoming SRA projects Private redevelopment Main anchors now: Food- Khau galli Jewelry shops stretch - second largest after Zaveri bazaar - MG Road (about 50 years old - Bharti Jewelers New culmination point in the suburbs - metro (existing + new line) , railway, eastern express highway, freeway

redevelopement newly built

2021

Rajawadi - row houses with a very cosmopolitan crowd

1930

1947

1953

1975

1991

2004

1960

1969

2014

2021

anchors: driving forces The main driving forces for Ghatkopar’s development were the transit and its connectivity, and health and sanitoriums. Both of them have been evolving along with a lot of redevelopment because of which the marshy lands and salt pans have deterioted.

TRANSIT

VILLAGE RAILWAYS

Rajawadi Hospital

GREEN COVER

SANITORIUMS

SALT PANS & MARSH LANDS

TRANSIT

Roa d

HOSPITALS EDUCATION

EDU MARKETS & KHAU GALLI

METRO 2014

Somiaya Campus

REDEVELOPMENT NEW METRO

TIO

M BS

EN T PM

ILW

RE D EV

EL O

VEN DO RS

RKE

ALL

ste

KHA

DISAPPEARING SALT PANS & MARSH LANDS

3. TRANSIT Ghatkopar is an essential transport hub with a good network of private and public transport- trains, metro, auto rickshaws, taxis, buses. it connects central and western Mumbai via central railway and metro lines, which will also connect to thane and --- via the upcoming new metro lines. Ghatkopar is also flanked by major roads like LBS Marg and Eastern express highway. MG Road, Hingwala lane and 90 feet roads form the main internal transit network. Because of its well connectivity, a lot of floating population is brought into Ghatkopar with many people just passing through with Ghatkopar as a pit stop for their further travel.

3.1 connectivity It connects central and western Mumbai via central railway and metro lines, which will also connect to thane and --- via the upcoming new metro lines. Ghatkopar is also flanked by major roads like LBS Marg and Eastern express highway. MG Road, Hingwala lane and 90 feet roads form the main internal transit network.

Based on a survey concluded by us (via google forms) to know the thoughts of the residents of ghatkopar and learn the ground reality of the place. The results of 70 residents are compiled below:

3.2 history of the streets Roads are either named based on some event or who contributed to its development and can tell a lot about history, and the same is the case for Ghatkopar. The place is rumoured to have of the two reasons for the origins of it’s name: 1. It derived its name from the fact that it was the ‘CORNER’ – Khopra in Marathi of Western Ghats – Ghatkhopra. 2. It derived its name from the fact that there were many Ghats , Small Hills, small river near the Eastern Express Highway where a lot of Salt Pans were there near Ghatkopar , so when people use to direct the way to reach these places they use to call it ” GHAT – KE – UPPER ” i.e ” Above that Hill”.

1. Khot lane from people who ploughed and looked after farming activities of the place. 2. Hindu Sabha Hospital in Ghatkopar West housed Hindu Sabha Library. This library had a very large membership and large collection of Gujarati books and magazines. 3. Cama lane comes from Lady Cama Bai. 4. Navrojee lane named after Navrojee Sheth – a Parsee. 5. Hingwala lane from a family that dealt in Asafoetida business. 6. Vallabh Baug lane running from Mahatma Gandhi Road was extended from R.B.Mehta Road to Garodia Nagar and was known as Vallabh Baug Extension. 7. 60 feet Road was named as Ratilal B. Mehta Road in 1970’s.

3.3 vehicular movement Due to the heavy vehicular traffic, many roads around the active spots have been labeled as one-way streets. Most inner lanes with residential buildings are 2 laned with parking happening on alternate sides of the road. Roads like MG road and -- are -- laned and active throughout the day.

TIME BASE TRAFFIC STUDY: traffic: in morning

traffic: in afternoon

During Mornings, it is mainly the Ghatkopar Andheri link road thats busy due to its connection to the eastern express Highway. There is a bit of traffic near the station but pretty well organized which later turns into a chaos

Around Station during afternoo shaws and buses both in East an on the main roads make some o bit tight

ons it is jam packed with ricknd West. At the same time traffic of the connecting inner lanes a

traffic: at evening Evenings, roads are mainly packed on the MG road in west, due to the market that comes up along both sides of the road, filled with people who have come to shop, which leads to traffic and this inturn affects the traffic in the east

3.4 pedestrial movement The most active space in the neighborhood is near the station,from morning till night, since Ghatkopar is the main crossing from central line to Western line, as also most of the fast locals halt at this station. Hence one can find a lot of clutter, rickshaws hovering, bus stands, food shops, mobile repairing and many such basic needs.

Apart from stations, during mornings, mostly the streets are empty, with the shops opening up. But one can observe a bit of heavy pedestrian movement near the parks, as people gather around for walks and exercise, similarly on playgrounds to practice and play. One can also observe movement near food shops to buy breakfast.

One of the vegetables market in active around this time and th creases the traffic over there. A West starts picking up pace whic erwise overall one can see a fa roads, with the inner lanes being

traffic: in morning

traffic: in afternoon

n Ghatkopar (in Pantnagar) gets hen eventually closes, which inApart from that khot galli in the ch continues till the evening, othair bit of people using the main g quiet.

active edges and one way streets

Evenings are pretty crowed with people returning home, one can see a lot of foottraffic towards the station to catch trains, hence the areas around the station are super active. Markets sort of boom in the evening with people getting out to buy vegetables, also by late evening people mainly loiter to have streetfood from various spaces traffic: at evening

4. STREETSCAPE Various areas based on their characteristics and influence towards the neighborhood are selected and studied. It focuses on the activities of the street and their relation with the edge and built.

4.1 rajawadi

Rajawadi is one of the oldest colony to exist. Rajawadi hospital (govt hospital) is a known landmark for Ghatkopar, bringing even people from outside the suburb. The inner lanes of the Rajawadi colony are quiet and calm, a contrast to the main road. The colony consists of bungalows, row houses and a jogger’s park.

Jogge park

The jogge pipeline a plinth. the tive and t old and u to be filled is slowly d

er’s

er’s park is built on top of a and hence built at a high e tail end of the park is inacthe equipment used is very unusable. A spot which used d with people and activities dwindling down

The inner lanes are rich in green cover. The trees provide a visual appeal and act as a mental balm. A significant temperature change can be felt when one enters these lanes.

4.2 m. g. road

M.G Road

M.G Road is always heavy with vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Shops and vendors on either side of road increases the congestion.

based on our survey:

Did street vendors and other shops along the way slow you down? Yes- 44 No- 14 Sometimes- 9

Area around M.G Road is undergoing many redevelopments but some old havelis and temples still exist. Khau galli is the street where majority of vendors and food stalls are set up. The street is most active during nights for customers with supply trucks coming in the mornings.

Kha

u ga

lli MG road connects the LBS marg, Eastern express and the railways and is always packed with activities and traffic. roadside shops, street vendors and khau galli are a main essence of this area. It being an important transit connection with other attractions brings in a lot of floating population.

4.3 hingwala lane

The Hingwala lane connects M.G Road and 90 Feet Road and serves as of the main lanes for internal transit. The street used to have many vendors but now it has the flower market and a Kabutar Khana. The ‘I love Ghatkopar’ sign is also located on this street.

Markets now happen on the side lane to the main street. Unloading of equipement and supplies block the narrow street. During Covid-19 markets were set up on the street and inside the Arun Vaidya ground.

Shops and market on the roadsides.

4.4 station roads

M.G

Roa

This area has overlapping of several transit networks- central railways, metro, bus, autoricksaws and private vehicles, which leads to intense and chaotic nature of the activities on the main street. The streets are active through out the day which means good business for the vendors and shops

Skywalks and quic but these have bec

based on our survey:

How was your experience around these stations? What major problems did you face?

Station Road

Metro

A- Over crowded. Long queue for tickets, Filthy, unorganized, No parking, hawkers which caused traffic jams

Metro bridge and station is quite close to the buildings on side and cast a huge shadow on the road below and its activities.

s have been built for easier ck transit for the pedestrains e bridges are not used and came dead spaces.

ntr

ail

R al

y wa

The area is overcrowed with people and vehicles, with no parking space. Shops and vendors block the path of people who might be rushing to get a train or metro. There is also no proper arrangement for bus stops and auto stands which add to the chaos and leaves no breathing space for the people.

4.5 movement of fauna Because of a large number of temples but not enough cowsheds or open spaces for animals, many animals like cows and dogs are found at spots near-religious spaces where people feed them. There are also some chabutras for bird feeding. The animals are left to roam in the streets during the day and often cause blockage for vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

Based on a survey concluded by us (via google forms) to know the thoughts of the residents of ghatkopar and learn the ground reality of the place. The results of 70 residents are compiled below:

4.6 markets and vendors Ghatkopar has different types of markets and street vendors in almost all main lanes. This makes it easier for the residents to fulfill their needs. Vendors and shops occupy the streets throughout the day and thus act like the eyes of the streets and make the neighbourhood more safe and active.

1. 2. 3. 4.

Khot Galli - vegetable market MG Road (west) - clothes market Station road Market - footwear Milan shopping Center - clothes and accessories 5. Gopal Galli - Vegetable and fruit market 6. Pant Nagar Market - vegetables and fruit, fish and meat market 7. MG Road (east) - jewellery market 8. Hingwala lane - vegetable and fruit market with seasonal variety/ flower market 9. Tilak road market - vegetable and fruit market 10. Vallabaugh Lane - Khao Galli/ Street food 11. Rajawadi - fruits and vegetables / last rites material 12. Odeon - vegetable and fruit market

5. TYPOLOGY One sees various different typologies in Ghatkopar today, all which have evolved over time. Developers have played a major role in shaping the neighbourhood. This section identifies how these various developers have influenced the suburb and the peculiarities, appearance and activities of and around various building typologies. Some of the most repetetive typologies are: the mid rise buildings spread in major parts of Ghatkopar East and West, Low-rises in Garodia Nagar in Ghatkopar East,pantnagar chawls in Ghatkopar East, Row houses in Rajawadi and Sindhuwadi and chawls in Police olony, Doshiwadi and Sarvodaya

typologies of structures in the neighbourhood MID-RISE BUILDINGS

RAJAWADI

PANT NAGAR CHAWLS

LOW-RISE BUILDINGS

CHAWLS

mid-rise buidings

3D TYPOLOGY

KEY PLAN

TYPICAL PLAN

Today, more than 50% of the builings in Ghatkopar are mid rises. After the redevelopment of the 3-4 storey old buildings, there came up these midrise buildings by inividual builers like Damji Shamji Group, Neelkanth builders, Gaurav group, etc.These buildings are individual buildings having their own compounds with parking spaces included inside it. Another reason for many mid and low-rises is that Ghatkopar falls under the funnel zone which doesn’t allow high rises in most of the some areas.

TYPICAL SECTION

ACTIVITIES

pantnagar mhada building

3D TYPOLOGY

SPILL OUT IN FRONT FOOTPATH

ROAD

FOOTPATH

SPILL OUT IN FRONT

KEY PLAN

TYPICAL PLAN

Pantnagar maily consists of MHADA Buildings, basically built during the 1960s inorder to encourage people to settle in Ghatkopar East. People used to be hesitant to build their houses in the marshy lands, hence MHADA took the responsibility to build chawl houses in such a region. These buildings are given a verandah like space on the ground floor where one can observe gatherings and activities taking place.

TYPICAL SECTION

ACTIVITIES

rajawadi row houses

3D TYPOLOGY

KEY PLAN

TYPICAL PLAN

Doshi wadi is a residence for a middle class group in Ghatkopar West. It used to be a clean residence. It was built in the 1960s and it still is well mantained and a clean residentialbuilding. Sarvodaya Chawls, earlier called as ‘Arab ni Chawl’ are called the Nandwal Chawls in the present day. They have 1 bhk flats in these chawls.

TYPICAL SECTION

ACTIVITIES

low-rise builings

3D TYPOLOGY WATCHMAN'S CABIN FLAT 3

FLAT 1

WING A

FLAT 2

KEY PLAN

TYPICAL PLAN

Garodia Nagar which used to be salt pans earlier was a large piece of land bough by private builders,on of which was the Garodia builders. They built this area to be a housing locality with all 3-4 storey similar looking buildings. All the buildings have 1or 2 buildings within each compound and 2 or 4 flats on each floor. Over the years, the roads have come up to a certain level that the building compounds have dipped, which causes flooding in this area. in the past 10-20 years, there are new mid-rise buildings that have come up redeveloping these old ones.

TYPICAL SECTION

ACTIVITIES

WING B

FLAT 4

chawls

3D TYPOLOGY

KEY PLAN

TYPICAL PLAN

TYPICAL SECTION

ACTIVITIES

6. FLOODING Flooding is a major concern in this place as it experiences it annually. The rains are harsh and only one shower leads to waterlogging in most parts. This raises a major concern when it comes to health. We try to see what causes it to destroy areas and how development has lead to the increase in the issues related to the same.

6.1 climate

Average Te

Ghatkopar, lying in the middle of Mumbai, experiences a hot and wet type of climate. The summers are extremely hot with tempertatures going upto 38 degree Celcius. It experiences harsh monsoons with annual precipitaion being 2205.8mm.

Wind Rose Diagram

Average Ra

Sun Path Diagram

emperature and Precipitation

ainfall Amount (mm) and Rainy Days

6.2 topography Ghatkopar is in the low lying area. Previously it was known to be a hill station with many mango orchards. Presently, there is barely any trace of any of that seen. People have built over all of the free open space and barely left any for the rainwater to go bacck into the ground.

https://en-gb.topographic-map. com/maps/lpfd/Mumbai/

6.3 flood prone zones

Causes of flooding 1. It is a low lying area surrounded by Ghats and hills 2. Barely any open spaces - most of the ground is covered and concretized 3. Poor drainage system 4. Nallas are filled with garbage, due to which during rains, they get filled quickly and sometimes overflow

10m 14m

6.4 effects of floods Flooding leads to a lot of problems within the neighbourhood. Being a low lying area, several parts of the place experience flooding. This leads to road blocks, breeding of insects, water logging and such. All of this is because of the decrease in the green cover and increase in the development throughout the vicinity. This makes life difficult at the place and annually causes inconvenience to the residents of the area.

18m

10m

11m

6m FLOOD PRONE AREA

6.5 open and green spaces Flooding leads to a lot of problems within the neighbourhood. Being a low lying area, several parts of the place experience flooding. This leads to road blocks, breeding of insects, water logging and such. All of this is because of the decrease in the green cover and increase in the development throughout the vicinity. This makes life difficult at the place and annually causes inconvenience to the residents of the area. GREEN SPACES FROM 1930

GREEN SPACES NOW

7. INSTITUTIONS Ghatkopar is an essential transport hub with a good network of private and public transport- trains, metro, auto rickshaws, taxis, buses. it connects central and western Mumbai via central railway and metro lines, which will also connect to thane and --- via the upcoming new metro lines. Ghatkopar is also flanked by major roads like LBS Marg and Eastern express highway. MG Road, Hingwala lane and 90 feet roads form the main internal transit network. Because of its well connectivity, a lot of floating population is brought into Ghatkopar with many people just passing through with Ghatkopar as a pit stop for their further travel.

7.1 health Ghatkopar has a good network of private clinics and private hospitals in the neighborhood. There is also a large range of specialized doctors within the vicinity. But still, there are not enough government hospitals for the largely growing population of Ghatkopar.

1. RAJAWADI HOSPITAL Rajawadi hospital is a municipal hospital located in the rajawadi area of ghatkopar,Mumbai.The site on which this hospital sits belonged to the Maharaja King Gaikwad of Baroda,which was donated to him by his family members.The land later was acquired by BMC in 1950 and inital planning of hospital started.At present Rajawadi Hospital is a major peripheral hospital in eastern suburbs of Mumbai.

2. HINDUSABHA HOSPITAL Harilal Jaichand Doshi Hindu Sabha is a trust based hospital located opposite ghatkopar station (west) which provides clinical services. The hospitals was built in year 1968 and since then the hospital has grown into 184 beds hospital providing many services.

3. PAREKH HOSPITAL Parakh Hospital & Research Centre is a multi specialty tertiary care and private hospital built in 2005.It is located in east part of ghatkopar. One can find the clinic easily as it owns a space near Khokhani Lane. The neighbourhood is filled with spaces that are residential and commercial establishments. Commuting from here is the least of one’s worries as there is ample of public transport service that is available.

4. DOSHI NURSING HOME Doshi nursing home built in 1985 is one of the well-known hospital in ghatkopar,located in ghatkopar east.Located in, the hospital is acessible by various means of transport.

7.2 education Ghatkopar has a wide range of institutes from private schools with the international board to government schools, and also colleges for higher education. N-ward has a high density of educational institutes.

1. SOMAIYA COLLEGE Somaiya Vidyavihar is a private university located in the Vidyavihar suburb of Mumbai. It is the second largest campus in Mumbai. The entire campus is owned and operated by the ‘Somaiya Trust’ and was built in year 1959.Somiaya is one of reason for mix population in Ghatkopar.

2. FATIMA HIGH SCHOOL A well-known educational institution, Fatima High School in Vidya Vihar West, Mumbai was founded in the year 1961.

3. GARODIA INTERNATIONAL Garodia International School is an educational institution based in Ghatkopar, Mumbai, India. GICLM owns various educational subsidiary including P. G. Garodia School. P. G. Garodia English High School was established way back in 1969 by Late Smt. Parmeshwaridevi Gordhandas Garodia.

7.3 influence of institutions Ghatkopar has a wide range of institutes which plays a major role in the growth of the neighbourhood. Starting form humble roots with vernacular medium schools to having international board schools the place has seen a lot. These have become reasons for the to grow and become one of the most prominet suburbs within the city. It is also projected to grow further and become one of the most saught after places to reside in.

8. CULTURE Ghatkopar has various communities within its small area and due to these many communities, a wide range of festivals are celebrated here making use of the roads and all accessible open spaces and grounds. The most prominent ones are Navratri, gokulashastmi, and Ganpati.

8.1 Festivals & congregational spaces Culture and community is an important part of any society. ghatkopar has many private spaces which can be utilised for special occasions but there are not any gathering spots for the entire public. hence many festivals and public events spill over on the roads.

Bhatia Wadi hall- it is one of the oldest venues for occasions and festivities.

Bhanushali wadi hall- It is located next to a temple and is utilised for its functions and also for exhibitions, sale fair etc. The plot is now being redeveloped to an apartment housing

Lion’s club hall- One of the most spacious community and banquet hall in ghatkopar

8.2 community and religious spaces Ghatkopar has many communities which have their own community hall for various functions, as well as these halls are used for various exhibitions also.

Janmashtami celebrated at a few junctions on Hingwala lane

Ganpanti Pandals are built at various intervals on MG road, Odeon and Pantnagar

Navratri used to be celebrated on Police ground and Somaiya grounds

BSERVATIONS AND STRATEGIES Based on the study, the lens and concerns are identified through which a vision and appropriate strategies can be worked out for the betterment of the neighbourhood and its residents.

9.1 population and occupation As seen from the following bar graph, the growth of the population within Ghatkopar is higher than that of Mumbai. It goes to show that the growth here is higher than the average of the city. Both are however much less when compared to that of the state and the country. The conclusion that can be drawn from this is that Mumbai is a significantly dense place where it is reaching saturation while Ghatkopar, Maharashtra, and India have not reached that state yet in their respective scales.

The place started out as an industrial area in the late 1800s and the early 1900s. After the decline of the industries, people here have been mostly occupied in the retail business. source:

The graph line graph that shows the growth of Ghatkopar sees a significant rise from the 1960s. This is probably due to the wave of people coming to settle here as a place to rest. The growth continued as there were more private developers that came to the place. There are several buildings that were built around the fifties and the sixties that are being demolished for redevelopment, replaced by taller buildings with more homes, continuing and justifying the projected growth for the next fifty years.

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Nearing the twenty-first century, the place saw a rise in two types of markets. One was that of jewelry. Ghatkopar has the largest market for ready-made juries in the city, second only to Zaveri Bazaar. The stretch extends from the LBS Marg till the signal at Rajawadi, along MG Road. The other occupation of the people here is associated with food. There are innumerable formal and informal food outlets scattered within the suburb. The Khao Galli here is the most famous area for the same. People are also involved in selling fabrics for clothes.

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9.2 concerns After studying the vicinity, we brainstormed some of the concerns that it faces. Most of them are largely associated with transit and the overlapping of the different networks. The other is associated with the decline of the health-related virtues that the place possessed and has declined now. With the new development, open spaces have diminished while the population of the place is bigger than ever. The informal activities and the movement of loose cattle get in the way and to the clutter in the suburb. We have listed down some of the others down below.

Large number of vendors and pedestrians leave very less space for vehicles

Animals block the streets for vehicles and contribute to traffic Traffic can hurt and harm roaming animals

Transport

Animal feeding

Delays

Smaller shop businesses Safe neighbourhood unclean

Diseases spread

Animals need feeding groundLack of open spaces

Flooding

Street hawkers Vendors

Water loggingDiseases spread

Lack of open spaces

Scarcity of Public school

Residents

Scarcity of Public Health

Relocation of people More pollution

Visual healing Cooling

Green Cover

Open spaces Education Health Lack of open spaces - Deterioration of health

Over crowding (large floating population)

WASTE

RECYCLE NAULLA

SANITORIUM

HEALTH CLEANLINESS

POLLUTION

FLOODING

TRANSIT

AUTO STOPS BUS STOPS

TRAFFIC REORGANISE TRANSIT WAITING AREAS PEDESTRIAN WAITING AREAS

s/ s

ps/

UNDERNEATH BRIDGES

NOISE

Trees cut for the new metro construction and parking spaces at roadsides

ROAD OBSTRUCTION KHAU GALLI

STREET VENDORS FOOD STALLS

CULTURE Redevelopment

SKYWALKS

PARKING

SHOPS SPILLING OVER ROAD

COMMERCIAL FESTIVALS PRAYING

COMMUNITIES

QUALITY OF LIFE EDUCATION HEALTH CARE

Deterioration of health- Unhygenic conditions for food vending

ACCESIBLE PUBLIC AMENTIES GOVT VS PRIVATE

GREEN COVER RECREATION KIDS AND SENIOR CITIZEN FRIENDLY SUBURB BREATHING NICHES ANIMAL FRIENDLY

9.3 vision Our narrowed lens for this vicinity to transit and heath. We find that these are the two aspects that need the most attention. We have taken the task of listing other important concerns as well and questioned ourselves on how we can tackle some of these problems to make the experience of the neighborhood better. We also took up some of these problems and have tried to resolve them in our design studio.

MAIN LENS HEALTH Ghatkopar historically was known for its healthy environment and sanatoriums. With the current pandemic- sanitation, cleanliness and health have became one of the large concerns of the residents because of the overcrowding and large floating population. The neighbourhood can be reimagined as a health hub which promotes both mental and physical health.

TRANSIT Ghatkopar primarily developed around the railways and has major roads like LBS marg and Eastern express highway. Mg road serves as a connection. The current and upcoming metro on 90 feet road which connects western and central links will bring even more people to ghatkopar. The already chaotic suburb needs to be ready for the future.

OTHER LENS CULTURE

Not much focus is given to art, dance and music. The main culture of this place can be the khau galli and its food stalls

COMMUNITY

Community feeling in the neighbourhood is important. Social interactions are needed for a healthy lifestyle

COMMERCIAL

Street markets along with its formal shops keep the area active and safe. Local businesses can be promoted more

ANIMALS

Animals and birds have been a part of this neighbourhood since but with no proper space. A healthy lifestyle can be provided for them.

RECREATIONAL

Lack of recreational spaces leading to alienation within the societies. Need more open spaces

HOW How do we organize the vendors in a way that they are not an obstruction for the public and not a nuissance for shops? How can the transport system be improved to become more efficient and making the place less chaotic? How to introduce small breathing and relaxing spaces within the chaotic fabric of the city? How can separate networks for vehicular and pedestrian transit be created? How can animals and their needs be incorporated into the neighbourhood? How to create a feeling of a larger community within the residents of Ghatkopar? How can culture and festivals be celebrated together more freely?

FOR FUTURE For the neighbourhood we wish to make interventions that help restore some of the original qualities when it comes to nature of lifestyle. A place not only good for people who reside here but also for those who visit and pass through. We wish to create a pedestrian routes within the suburb to help channel and filter the congestion of the main roads as well as activate the inner deserted lanes. With the design strategies we also wish to strengthen the social bonding within the community and ease the social stress and promote art and culture within the place. A visually interesting place within the neighborhood acts as a kind of mental calm. Besides this, we also wish to look at the various activities on the street and modify where required. We wished to reactivate the unused commercial centers to promote and expand local businesses.

9.4 strategies As a part of our design studio, we have tried to combat some of the concerns related to the neighborhood that we have defined for ourselves. With the help of the lens that we formulated, we have proposed some design alterations that can be introduced to make that area function in a better manner. We are looking at creating easier transportation routes and some urban inserts in selected patches which adds one more layer of connection the neighborhood. Public shuttles routes for internal travel within ghatkopar and to connect the existing railway and metro with the upcoming metro have been proposed. Inner lanes which where deserted are identified as a part of a separate network for the residents and pedestrians. Some lanes are given pedestrian priority while some others are fully pedestrian and become spaces where community and residents can gather and interact.

shuttle route from stations shuttle route for inner area vendors main roads pedestrial priority lanes fully pedestrian lanes animal routes intervention possibilities

9.5 interventions on masterplan Different sites based on the masterplanning networks and dp plan were identified and interventions proposed 1- redirection of vehicular movement and utilisation of corner plot 2- creating niches for markets and vendors and opening up of parks for all public 3- creating inner links and networks for pedestrian movement 4- pedestrian links connects deserted sites and parks 5- create niches and stopping points for transit and opening up the corners of the road

1- outside railways

2- i love ghatkopar point

3- new metro on 90 feet

4- railways edge

5- MG road

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• https://www.bmcelections.com/ bmc-new-ward-maps/ • https://en-gb.topographic-map. • https://www.indianculture.gov.in/ gazetteer-bombay-city-and-island • https://ghatkopar.com/history.htm • http://disastermanagementmumbai. blogspot.com/2012/07/chapter-6-recommendations-of-flood.html • https://dpremarks.mcgm.gov.in/ srdp1991/ • https://postal-codes.cybo.com/india/400086_mumbai/ • https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1367912013002800 • https://www.loc.gov/maps/?fa=location%3Aindia%7Clocation%3Amumbai&all=true&dates=1970-1979 • https://gazetteers.maharashtra.gov. in/cultural.maharashtra.gov.in/english/gazetteer/greater_bombay/volume1.html • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurla • https://portal.mcgm.gov.in/irj/go/ km/docs/documents/Ward%20Information/N_ WARD_Gardens.pdf • https://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/ s304025959b191f8f9de3f924f0940515f/uploads/2018/04/2018041288.pdf • https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Land-surface-temperature-in-Mumbaicity-1990-2015-A-January-B-June-andC_ fig2_325780118