From the late 1800s, Mumbai implemented an ambitious urban planning project, which resulted in the construction of two ensembles of public buildings bordering the Oval Maidan: first, in the Victorian Neo-Gothic style, and later, in the Art Deco idiom. While the Victorian ensemble includes Indian elements suited to local weather conditions, the Art Deco ones flaunt a style of their own. They exhibit an important exchange of European and Indian human values during that time, says Apoorva Iyengar, a conservation architect, who shares lesser-known trivia about them on Instagram, @mumbai.world.heritage.

On June 30, 2018, the Federation of Residents Trusts (FORT) Foundation was formed, of which Iyengar is an active member. It was started by members of the Nariman Point Churchgate Citizens Association (NPCCA), Art Deco Mumbai Trust (ADMT), Oval Cooperage Residents Association (OCRA), Kala Ghoda Association (KGA), Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI) and Organisation for Verdant Ambience and Land Trust (OVAL Trust) along with NGO Nagar. The same day, UNESCO declared Mumbai's Victorian and Art Deco ensembles as World Heritage Site. These include the city, civil and sessions courts, the Western Railway headquarters, CSMVS and Eros and Regal cinema halls, among several others. "FORT has taken up issues related to the UNESCO-inscribed World Heritage Site," says Iyengar. "It aims to work at meeting the compliance requirements of the heritage area in South Mumbai, where 94 ensembles are located. The project will help craft planning policies and other measures to ensure that the World Heritage inscription is upheld in the future."