Sixty per cent of Mumbai’s population lives in slums,” says Rahul Srivastava, co-founder, URBZ. “But that is not necessarily a bad thing. These informal settlements offer a great solution to Mumbai’s spatial concerns. We tend to define urbanism in a very narrow manner,” the anthropologist points out.u00a0According to the state Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), slumdwellers live in colonies simply because there is no alternative. The government authority’s solution is conventional, for the lack of a better word: redevelopment. But as Srivastava points out, “growing vertically may not always be the answer.” So what’s the alternative?

An aerial view of Utkarsh Nagar at u00a0Bhandup that has expanded rapidly in the past decade as many families from the Konkan coast have made it their home. The slum is a vibrant homegrown neighbourhood with a strong cultural identity. Pic/ URBZ