Location: Mumbai, India.

Architect: Mandviwala Qutub & Associates.

The Bhendi Bazaar Upliftment Project is the largest urban renewal project in India, covering 16.5 acres in the inner city area of Mumbai. The project aims to transform the squalid city pocket into a green haven without burdening Mumbai’s infrastructure, uplifting the living standards of around 20,000 people. The project will replace the old city centre’s crumbling infrastructure, poor sanitation, uninhabitable buildings, and lack of public green spaces with comfortable homes, cultural and community spaces, and better infrastructure. The project will upgrade the 19th century neighbourhood to meet the needs of the 21st century while retaining its culture and character. The project will provide residents with new ownership apartments, wider roads, open spaces, well-lit houses with parking facilities, amenities, community spaces, and shops while maintaining religious structures within the site. The project is being developed as a smart neighbourhood, planned holistically to encourage a sustainable way of living. The master plan is developed with nine clusters, which will be self-sustaining, supported by modern technology and environment-friendly practices. The project boasts of using environmentally friendly strategies like the use of recycled construction materials, solar-powered lights, sewage treatment plant, rainwater harvesting, terrace gardens, double wall facades, north-south alignment of buildings, ample open spaces between buildings, and waste management to separate wet and dry garbage at the local level. The project is designed with an eye on the future to act as a prototype for all developments in the area.