STUDY OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD IN PRABHADEVI:

The study helps us to question that, what defines slum? Why are these
slums a part of an urban setting? what governs the varying typology of an
area? How the fabric of an area does differs from other areas? And these
questions and the onsite study helps to understand the relation between
the varying typologies and how do they coexist in an urban setting.
The study helps to understand the relation of various elements that
influence the fabric of an area, such as built and unbuilt, street furniture,
formal and informal settings, street dwellers, encroachments, vehicular and
pedestrian flow patterns, trees, open spaces, social and physical
amenities etc.

HOUSING:
Housing is a response to the uneasy environment for a comfortable livable
space. Housing typologies that are prevalent in a city depict the social,
economic and cultural state of that place. It plays a role in user
identification along with user patterns that are indigenous to that place.
This housing being a response, differs from place to place as the users
differ and their conditions of survival differ. Development around changes
the idea of housing thus there is a constant in usability of the physical
space. For example, earlier on in chawls people were forced to interact
with their neighbors but with the advent of mobility options and phones
people can move around to meet people outside of their housing circle,
they can make contact with people they havent ever met through the
internet, thus the living corridors of the chawls could now be the avoided
corridor forcing a change of ideology in building and molding of housing
communities.

PLANNING AGENCIES FOR HOUSING:

To make a city efficient in its functioning there was a requirement for the
setting of planning authorities, who could look upon the infrastructure
development in the city necessary for the proper functioning. During the
reign of Britishers, Bombay Improvement Trust (BIT) was formed in 1898.
It was formed to tackle and overcome the ruined sanitary and living
conditions in the city. The Municipal Corporation and the government
handed over all vacant lands to this body. It undertook a host of measures
to improve sanitary and living conditions in the city. The planned opening
up of suburbs was due to the Trust.
Later on with the changing requirements and conditions in the city other
authorities and planning bodies were set up. These included:
Bombay Housing Board (BHB)
Bombay Housing Board was established in the year 1948 and had
jurisdiction over the entire State of Maharashtra except Vidharbha Region.
This body undertook construction of residential buildings under various
housing schemes for different sections of the society. The allotment and
maintenance of these buildings was being looked after by it.
Maharashtra Regional Town Planning (MRTP) in 1966
It was brought in to make provision for planning the development and
use of land in Regions established for that purpose and for the
constitution of Regional Planning Boards therefore ; to make better
provisions for the preparation of Development plans with a view to ensuring
that town planning schemes are made in a proper manner and their
execution is made effective; to provide for the creation of new towns by
means of Development Authorities; to make provisions for the compulsory
acquisition of land required for public purposes in respect of the plans;
and for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid.

Maharashtra Housing and Development Authority (MHADA) in 1976

It has been engaged primarily in constructing and selling housing to low
and middle income groups in urban and semi-urban areas. It has been
actively functioning in the state for providing houses and it has helped a
lot of people to live in this city with a better standard of living.
Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) in 1996
Slums have constituted an integral part of Mumbai's cityscape for several
decades. With its potential to provide employment to a vast multitude,
the city attracts a large number of people. Many of them stay in slum
colonies for the lack of a better alternative.
Slum-dwellers stay in shanty structures in unhygienic environment, not by
choice but by compelling circumstances as they were thrown out of the
formal housing sector, the latter being expensive and much beyond their
income levels. It is imperative to enhance their standard of living and for
which an authorized dwelling unit is a first step in the right direction.
This, in turn, will bring about a marked improvement in their hygiene and
health as well as raise the level of public hygiene which has fallen to very
low ebb.
SRA Cell has been set up to scrutinize the Slum Rehabilitation proposals
and to grant subsequent approvals as per Development Control
Regulations applicable and as per Slum Rehabilitation Guidelines as
approved by the Municipal corporation

The urbanization that has happened in the city has led to the development
of various housing typologies and cluster formation. The increase in
population resulted in an urban sprawl, which in turn resulted in the increase
in the divided between the poor and rich. The lower income group were
seen living in substandard conditions. They usually started living in shanty
towns and slums. The definition of a slum is a vague and subjective one
that changes according to situations and localities. The basics of a slum is
inhuman living conditions, lack of sanitation and basic amenities, materials
used to make the houses might not be legit construction materials. But
other than the inhuman conditions this typology is an important part of our

society as it provides livelihood for a large amount of people, with a

massive economic turnover, as well as houses a large number of people.
Its an important aspect of the housing issue in the city and its one of the
major discussion factors. Everyone today is trying to define what a slum is
and what its future would be.