Revitalization of the united mills, Girangaon, Mumbai

Abstract

Mumbai is one of the largest metropolitans in India. It is the fnancial, commercial and entertainment capital of India. It is the city that never sleeps. The city has a population of around 12,442,373 people (Census2011.co.in, 2016) and a density of 19,652 people per km2. The city is growing on an alarming rate and so are the needs of the people. The quality of life is detoriating. There is destruction of the environment and the abuse of the ecological assets is going on all over the city. The city is being deprived of its very few open spaces. These open spaces include public areas for leisure, relaxation, ftness, sports etc. The only notable spaces are the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and the Oval Maidan. Mumbai has an average of around 1.1 sq m of open space per person whereas London has 31.7 m2 per person and New York 26.4 m2.(Rajadhyaksha, 2012) This shows the immense need of open areas in the city of Mumbai. On another timeline, a century ago in the centre of this Mumbai lied Girangaon. ‘Girangaon’ in the local dialect translates to ‘Mill Village’. This area was once flled with over 50 composite textile mills and all these mills also covered no less than 600 acres of land.Around these mills there was also a network of people who migrated into the city searching for work in these mills. These network of people developed into a strong community with its own distinct culture and lifestyle. The once colonial Bombay flourished due to this Textile Industry. This textile industry however, was in function until the early 1980s, after which most of the mills were shut down, as the owners saw them unproftable. The closure of these mills displaced a lot of people who worked and lived around these mills. The mill lands were put up for redevelopment by the owners. Most of the mill lands have been subjected to gentrifcation like the High Street Phoenix mall. There has been no stake for the mill workers and the people neighboring these mill complexes and also the city while redeveloping them.Today, The culture that was once part of Bombay’s history, is now replaced by a consumerist culture represented by sprawling malls and sophisticated ofces. One such a site is the Unites Mills 2&3 complex. The proposed Museum complex on the site has to address the above two situations to become the part of the city. The museum would majorly address only the tourist inflow and the city’s population to certain period of time, afterwhich the site will just remain a structure one rarely visits. The motive of this Thesis design is to make this site available for the local neighbouring people and the city as a whole rather than just a standalone museum.