Mumbai Development Plan 2034
Core idea
Densification, TDR, open space
Why it matters
Resets land regime in dense megacity
Description
The Mumbai Development Plan 2034, sanctioned in 2018 and prepared by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, is the statutory land-use and development-control plan for India's densest megacity. It raises permissible floor space indices, extends the use of transferable development rights, opens portions of previously restricted lands to development, and seeks to reserve land for open space, affordable housing and amenities. The plan followed an unusually contested drafting process, with an earlier draft withdrawn after public criticism.
Significance
The plan is significant as a reset of the land and density regime in a city where artificial FSI scarcity had long shaped speculative dynamics and informal housing. It crystallises central debates in Indian planning — over densification versus infrastructure capacity, the use of TDR as a planning currency, and the fate of Mumbai's remaining open and ecological lands.
What shaped it
- Floor Area Ratio (FAR/FSI) (20th c.)
- The master plan (early 20th c.)
- World becomes majority urban (2007)
- The Just City (Fainstein) (2010)
Sources
- https://portal.mcgm.gov.in/irj/go/km/docs/documents/MCGM%20Department%20List/Chief%20Engineer%20
- https://www.mcgm.gov.in/irj/go/km/docs/documents/EODB/Construction%20Permit/Related%20Circulars/