Abstract:
Having been brought up in Mumbai - India, as well as exploring its built landscape through my architectural education, I have learned about, and been sensitized to the living conditions of millions of people who thrive and continue to grow in organic shanty towns of “Informal Housing” or “Slums”. Informal Housing has been a part of the landscape of Mumbai since the beginning of the 20 th Century. More than 50% of the city’s population lives in slums, and the numbers only continue to rise . The government has been trying to improve the state of informal housing since the early 1970s. Howev er, in most cases these Slum Rehabilitation Schemes have not proved beneficial to the slum dwellers themselves, or to the city of Mumbai at large. A large amount of energy is being wasted on building these rehabilitation schemes, many of which are abandone d by the rehabilitated residents a few months after their stay, only for them to go back to living in informal condition s yet again. It is important for the city to look at this problem through a new lens, one that will be beneficial to the residents of informal housing schemes as well as the city itself. Energy Efficiency and Environmental Sustainability are important concepts that can be used to begin a dialogue with the rehabilitation of informal settlements. They can be used as a way to improve the conditions of slum rehabilitation that can bring about a positive change by enhancing the quality of life of their new residents. This way, the residents are given better more sustainable infrastructure that allows them to be formally integrated into the urban environment. This thesis tries to explore these two concepts for a new approach to slum rehabilitation in Mumbai that is inclusive and future oriented. Key Words: Mumbai, Slum Rehabilitation Scheme, Sustainable Development, Energy Efficiency, Environmental Sustainability.