Experts Warn Mumbai's Public Open Spaces Are Shrinking Due to Policy Ambiguity

Mumbai’s public open spaces are under threat due to the absence of an exclusive policy and the lack of a concrete definition of what constitutes an actual public open space, urban experts warned at a conference held at the JJ College of Architecture on Wednesday.

Speaking at the event titled 'Looking at Mumbai’s Public Open Spaces', trustees and representatives from civic and research organisations shared insights on the ongoing reduction and misuse of open land across the city.

Nayana Kathpalia, trustee of the Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI) and the NGO Alliance for Governance and Renewal (NAGAR), pointed out that authorities have maintained policy loopholes intentionally over several decades.

"For decades, authorities have kept ambiguity in terms of policy making for public open spaces on purpose so that it can be exploited," Kathpalia said during the conference.

Architect and NAGAR trustee Parul Kumtha, NAGAR associate director Ashwini Deshpande, and UDRI associate director Prerna Yadav joined Kathpalia in addressing the gathering. The speakers unanimously identified the absence of a dedicated governing policy and the lack of a precise, standard definition for public open spaces as the two primary factors placing the city's remaining open areas at risk.