MAPPING: FLOWS AND LANDSCAPES

Baiganwadi Shivaji Nagar No2 in the Suburbs of Mumbai, India 

Looking at the world map, Spain stands in the middle. On its right is the new world: America and on its left the Ancient world, above it sits northern Europe, and below it Africa. This is not an accidental coincidence, but the deliberate design of Spaniards who at the height of their power drew out the world map and decided in an act to reassert their hegemonic power, to stand at the center of the world. Perhaps it is my upbringing in the Middle East that has driven me to believe that everything is political, specifically mapping which include flows and landscapes. When thinking of flows and landscapes, perhaps there are two ways one can approach this. The first being the act of drawing the existing map, cautiously choosing modes of representation that articulate and communicate certain information while keeping others in the dark. Another way of looking at it is designing the existing landscape to cater to the ruling party. After all, cities are bodies with organs, these organs have to be strategically planned, located, and manipulated to uphold the maximum amount of power possible.

One of the many examples of these power manipulations is the drastic transformation of Mumbai, from seven islands, to the landfill carried out under the command of British authorities. This physical connection of the islands was a political decision to establish further control over the land and its inhabitants. This physical change in the landscape radically changed local power agents and transformed the local economy from one that is centered around the ocean to other alternative forms focused on opportunities inland. In addition to changing the landscape, the mapping of flows and landscapes were also drawn to reaffirm euro-centric influences and notions.

Looking at recent power struggles in the built-environment in Mumbai today, our meetings with local architects, Architect Hafeez Contractor, PK DAS, and URBZ were enlightening in that each portrayed the essential problem the mega-city is facing in a manner to suit their beliefs and intentions. Our first meeting with Hafeez was an eye-opening introduction into the world of real-estate, speculation, and development. Hafeez strongly opposed the existence of what is termed and commonly known as “slums”. His insistence on re-housing the poor in 7 to 8 story high apartment buildings which would be funded by the high-rise luxury condos around it is questionable. These small village-like neighborhoods called slums have their own internal economies that vary according to each region. Some are fishermen along the coast; others have a particular dominant economy such as the laundry business such as Dhobi Ghat, while larger “slums” such as Dharavi have a wide array of industries: recycling industries, leather tanneries, pottery crafts, among other smaller businesses such as metal works and jewelry. The re-housing of the people living the slums means displacing them from their source of income and livelihood. 

PK DAS, despite his strong opposition to Hafeez’s approach, similarly proposed slum re-habilitation projects with the only difference of including locals in the planning process. As Das spoke of his strong belief in a design that is inclusive, including large master plans that do not have strict zonings but organically stimulate the same spatial and social interactions as the ones present the slums, posters showing maps that indicate areas and densities within the slums in Mumbai hung on the walls of the conference room. One particular map showed all the “slums” in Mumbai with a bright orange infill that was coloring almost half the city indicating the location and areas of slums. 

URBZ then explained that the mapping of the slums by PK DAS was haphazardly done by merely looking at an aerial photo and identifying all low-rise, locally made houses as slums. Some of these so-called slums are in fact fishing villages and former and/or present agricultural lands. According to URBZ, the city is still in the making and looking at these village-like towns, their “typologies” are similar if not identical to medieval cities in Europe such as Barrio Gotico in Barcelona Spain.

It is interesting that mappings, flows, and landscapes can easily be manipulated to serve an agenda. In the following posts I will look closely at examples of artificial landscapes observed in Mumbai and inquiring their intentions.