Mumbai’s open spaces shrinking due to policy gaps, lack of central body: Experts

Parul Kumtha speaks during the conference at JJ College of Architecture on Wednesday. PICS/ASHISH RAJE

For decades, authorities have kept ambiguity in terms of policy making for public open spaces on purpose so that it can be exploited," said Nayana Kathpalia, trustee, Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI), and NGO Alliance for Governance and Renewal (NAGAR). She was speaking at the ‘Looking at Mumbai's Public Open Spaces' conference held at JJ College of Architecture on Wednesday.

[popcorn number="1.28 SQ M" desc="Open space per person in Mumbai" class="Default"]

Sharing insights on what has led to misuse and reduction of public open spaces in Mumbai, Kathpalia, Parul Kumtha (architect, trustee, NAGAR), Ashwini Deshpande (associate director, NAGAR), and Prerna Yadav (associate director, UDRI) unanimously mentioned that lack of an exclusive policy and a concrete definition of what an actual public open space is are the two biggest reasons why city's open spaces are in danger.

Parul Kumtha, architect and NAGAR trustee

The organisations conducted a study on reserved, existing, and potential public open spaces and observed that there is no one department or centralised body to govern open spaces.

Why open spaces are in danger…

>> Existing open spaces haven't been included under Development Control and Promotion Regulations, which means they can be developed easily
>> Lack of central body to govern public open spaces
>> Lack of policy dedicated to open spaces
>> Under-utilisation of existing open spaces
>> No concrete definition of what exactly a public open space is

Proper implementation

According to Kathpalia, if the rules are implemented properly, it could help increase the landscape of open spaces. "An area like Bhuleshwar, where there is no open space, can probably have a garden in future when most chawls undergo redevelopment," she said.

Implementation

The experts suggested that there must be an ‘Ideation Cell' for each public open space that will "guide on design practices, create citizen groups, consult ecologists to develop, and maintain each public open space," said Yadav, adding that citizen education is equally important. "Educating citizens about information on open spaces will empower them to ask the right questions and ensure that these spaces are not exploited in any manner," said Deshpande.

Expert Speak

Nayana Kathpalia, trustee, UDRI
‘There are just mechanisms that guide how a public open space should be maintained. But not a single policy dedicated to demarcating, maintaining, preserving, defining, developing and creating a public open space'

Ashwini Deshpande, associate director, NAGAR
‘As per national standards, 10-12 sq m per person is the allocated ideal size of a public open space. The same for Mumbai is 4 sq m per person. However, at present, the existing open space size in Mumbai is just 1.28 sq m per person. While K West has only 341 open space sites, P North has 286'

Prerna Yadav, associate director, UDRI
‘Some are under the municipal corporation, some under MHADA, some under MMRDA, some are private, and some under a trust. The lack of a centralised department that can look after a public space of any category adds to the problem of vanishing public open spaces.'