Abstract:
India is the second most populated country in the world, and Mumbai is one of the
most populated cities in the country. India is also a country of a rich heritage, and a
community based style of living has evolved from our villages and continues to strive
there today.
When the mills of Mumbai started employing people, a large number of migrants
started flowing into the city in search of work. Chawls were a type of residential
buildings that were built by the government and some private mill owners to
accommodate this population. The courtyards and continuous galleries became
community spaces where activities flourished and people interacted.
The closing of the mills had a direct effect on the chawls, and gentrification started
occurring in the city of Mumbai. Mills were replaced by malls, and chawls are being
replaced by high rise luxury residential buildings.
Most of the chawls have already lived past their age, and hence exists in a dilapidated
condition. The original residents of these chawls are at the verge of being thrown out of
their homes, into new units that have no resemblance to their previous homes with
respect to the common spaces. Another reason is that the chawls are strategically
placed in the island city, which is close to their places of work and the city in general.
Moving to the suburbs means losing that connectivity that they have lived in for so
many years. Thus they continue to live in these dilapidated buildings.
This thesis aims to understand the spaces in chawls, and the social life that occurs there,
and then redevelop the chawls in a manner that is inclusive of the above mentioned
factors, such that this community style of urban living may be redefined.
