T H E L A R G E R  P E R S P E C T I V E

Sivaji nagar is one of the poorest slums of Mumbai. Roughly 6 lakh people are cramped into 1.37 sq.kms. However it�s a very interesting case of a planned municipal neighborhood turned into slum. It was developed in 1971 during the emergence era as a resettlement site for families displaced for infrastructure development. The plan detailed out 94 blocks with 14 roads and 8 lanes (Chawls). Each chawl could accommodate 8 families on either side. While the city provided plots, water and toilet blocks, it was up to residents to build their houses. However within a couple of decades water supply stopped, and soon other services also became scarce, leading to its present day reputation of a slum. A curious case of a planned slum. (Bj�rkman, 2014)