Reinventing Dharavi: A city in levels
Mumbai is South Asia´s biggest city and around half of its population (of 14 millon of population) live in slums. Our proposal is based on the creation of new ground: Dharavies need to be near the street. Stacking their houses up does not fit their needs. The ground floor is so densely occupied that construction becomes impossible. City managers can’t satisfy the needs of amenities for lack of space, so we need to create new ground. New houses will be built in New Dharavi Ground, close to current street. This ground will maintain the traditional form of social organization. New Dharavi will contain the local uses and flavor with structures, of maximum 4 levels high and the traditional narrow alleys. Organizing the 85 communities into a participative scheme will allow location of each community near the original place they occupy, along with the facilities related to their traditional work. Above these houses, matching the level of elevated main roads in Mumbai, the Flyover Connection Ground will appear. This ground is both a road network and a public open space hub where schools, theaters, mosques and squares with shaded areas shape the new downtown area. There Dharavies will meet and develop activities leaving the semi privacy of their alleyways and home vicinity, but without need to travel; this new world it is just 4 flights away from home. High Rise Ground will sell Real Estate to open market to finance technology to sustain a high standard of life for Daravies. Their need is location within the city: they look for the coordinates of the financial hub of Mumbai. The financial business crowd can be detached of the street using elevators transport within their work space. Height is an asset as towers become their identify symbol. Bringing together these two different worlds is the promotion of equality within difference, cooperation on fair distribution.