This article explores the subjectivities of Dharavi’s residents within the framework of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP), highlighting how marginalized communities navigate the social and spatial changes imposed by neoliberal urban projects. Through interviews with 20 residents, it examines the DRP’s promises of modernization, which often result in exclusion and displacement. While residents support redevelopment, they stress the need for in situ relocation and preserving community cohesion. 

Pramod Vishwakarma, a carpenter working with the urbz team, talks to us about his connection to the dual places or worlds he belongs to and his indecisiveness over what 'home' truly means to him.

Dharavi’s massive redevelopment project aims to turn it into a ‘world-class’ neighborhood, but this vision risks erasing its unique identity and thriving homegrown economy. Instead of replacing it with glass towers and luxury spaces, Dharavi could be a model for a ‘world-grown city’—one that values its community-driven development while staying connected to the global economy.