This article draws parallels between the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) in Mumbai and Haussmann’s 19th-century transformation of Paris, arguing that both are examples of neoliberal urbanism—where large-scale city projects are driven by investment interests and state power, often at the expense of the local urban fabric. Both projects use narratives of modernization, hygiene, and public order

This article argues that Haussmann’s transformation of 19th-century Paris was driven by speculative strategies — both political and financial — to reshape the city for elite interests under the guise of modernization. The piece frames Haussmann’s Paris as a blueprint for today’s neoliberal urban projects, like the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP), highlighting how large-scale urban