Does Dharavi reveal a contemporary urban model that defies functional urbanism?

The competition for land, rather than the traditional competition for tenants, was especially exacerbated in sites of growing industrialization and development like Bombay. 

How to provide housing for all classes of people who need it, taking their varied livelihoods  into account, while balancing their relative abilities to invest in housing? 

Architecture relies on inputs of the occupants to incrementally design a house extension in Sakinaka. 

How local, community owned and managed housing co-operatives, can be a vital step towards improving the neighbourhoods, bringing good quality civic infrastructure and making the city genuinely ’slum-free’.

Where affordable housing is scarce but people have tweaked the system and the land to achieve the best possible results in the given circumstances. 

The so-called slums of the city are in many ways attempts at increasing affordable housing units through a different construction and financial system.

Local newspapers doubled, tripled and eventually quadrupled with classifieds about the shiny, affordable, chic new buildings with swimming pools coming up in every empty corner.

Lowcost housing by Architect B V Doshi, whose planned vision grew very incrementally.

Local contractor Amar Madhukar Nirjankar constructs the most affordable house for one of his clients in Bhandup's homegrown neighbourhood.