Title: URBAN TYPHOON Koliwada/ Dharavi
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Content: Although many laud the plan’s transcendence of a piecemeal approach, the project has been criticized for being pro-developer instead of pro-resident; for proceeding without transparency towards, consent of or consultation with the community; and for adopting a tabula rasa approach that ignores the generations of incremental self-development that have made Dharavi the unique and productive place it is today. Residents have further protested that the plan will deprive many of their livelihoods, does not allot enough space in light of current tenement sizes, and does not account for Dharavi’s sizable population of renters and more recent migrants. Experts have further warned that the plan promotes insupportable densities, does not adequately consider environmental impacts or future growth, and does not effectively integrate Dharavi with Mumbai as a whole. Some have also emphasized that a simplistic rezoning or segregation of activities overlooks the deep interconnections between economic activities, social networks and urban form in Dharavi. Another critique of the project has been that it has proceeded without reliable statistics about Dharavi’s population. In response, the government commissioned a baseline socioeconomic survey of the area in September 2007; managed by an NGO and implemented in part by slum dwellers, the survey is currently under way.