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Slums are a universal and a ubiquitous part of the urban landscape. With increasing urbanization and industrialization, slums are also growing both in population and spatial extent. Dharavi, an ever-growing slum, lies right in the middle of India´s largest economic hub, Mumbai. Dharavi is often referred as Asia´s largest slum, but calling it merely a slum is a massive understatement. Instead it is the center for recycling, re-purposing and reuse at the heart of one of the world´s most populated cities. Beneath the sea of corrugated tin roofs, the reality could hardly be more different. Dharavi is a highly developed urban area, composed of distinct neighborhoods and bustling with various economic activities that are integrated socially, economically and culturally at metropolitan, regional and global levels. Many slum redevelopment projects have failed in the past because they fail to recognize these slums for what they really are. Therefore, to rebuild Dharavi, it should be viewed as a thriving and functioning urban settlement rather than a slum that needs to be flattened and built upon.

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Shweta Suresh Chhatpar, M.Arch; completed her Master of Architecture from Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, Georgia, specializing in Digital Architecture. Currently she is a practicing Architect in Mumbai, India. Her interest lies in combining Digital Design and Architecture.

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