EXAMENSARBETE INOM SAMHÄLLSBYGGNAD, AVANCERAD NIVÅ, 30 HP STOCKHOLM, SVERIGE 2018 Social Cohesion in Gilbert Hill What can be done to better Integrate the Informality within the Formal Planning Process GUSTAV CARLSBRAND EMMA JOHANSSON KTH SKOLAN FÖR ARKITEKTUR OCH SAMHÄLLSBYGGNAD Abstract The government in Maharashtra are trying to rehabilitate the informal settlements in Mumbai through the slum rehabilitation authority and its rehabilitation scheme and we wanted to learn more about how it worked and how it affects living conditions for former residents of an informal settlement and how it can differ from those still living there. This study has a focus on a specific informal settlement in Mumbai, called Gilbert Hill. Through observations and interviews with people living in the area, the research investigates resident’s opinions and experiences. Interviews with officials, involved in the planning of Mumbai were conducted, in order to learn how the interaction between formal and informal structures looks like. The results will be presented in this report and will give an insight of the life in an informal settlement in Mumbai as well as the thoughts and efforts with the rehabilitation of said settings. Our findings have been analysed and discussed in the light of David Harvey’s The right to city, displacement theories, theories about the public private partnership and what it is that makes informal settlements to persist. We have discovered that it is not as easy as to just redevelop an informal settlement according to a uniform plan. Residents have special bonds to the neighbourhood, both between each other and to the place itself. Even though the residents might be viewed as impoverished and underprivileged they still should have a right to form their future as well as their surroundings. They certainly have a will to do so. Keywords: Informal settlement, positive qualities, reasons for persistence, attitudes, living patterns 2 Foreword We would like to thank a few significant person and organisations. Without them, this thesis would not have been possible to conduct. Firstly, we would like to thank the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. Without their Minor Field Study scholarship, awarded to us, we would never have been able to travel to India. Secondly, we would like to thank Stefan Lundberg, our supervisor at the Royal Institute of Technology and our support and sounding board throughout the process of doing research and writing our thesis. When this project was just an embryo, via application process, our India trip and in the completion of our thesis, Stefan has been of great help. We would also like to thank Ketaki Tare Bhadgaonkar, Jai Bhadgaonkar and their employees at Bombay 61 for letting us be a part of their project, giving us great insights in the matter of urban planning and informal settlements and helping us interpret our findings. They made sure that we had a very informative and enlightening stay and we left Mumbai a little more insightful than when we came. Everyone at Bombay 61 is a great example of the wonderful hospitality we have witnessed all over India. Thank you also to Siddhant Pai and Roopal Chopra for invaluable interpretations during our visits to Gilbert Hill. Lastly, we would like to thank the residents of Gilbert Hill for telling us about their stories and their experiences, which made it possible for us to gather information and to start to understand the complexities inherent in informal settlements. We would like to express a special thanks to Saira. Without her knowledge and expertise, this study would not have been possible to conduct. Thank you for welcoming us! Gustav Carlsbrand & Emma Johansson Stockholm, June 2018 3 Table of Contents 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 5 1.1 Aim and research questions ................................................................................................................. 6 1.2 Background ........................................................................................................................................... 6 1.2.1 The history of Mumbai................................................................................................................... 6 1.2.2 Urbanisation and trends in India ................................................................................................. 8 1.2.3 Informal settlements ................................................................................................................... 10 1.2.4 Urban poverty; a sliding scale ..................................................................................................... 12 1.2.5 Reasons for rehabilitating and upgrading informal settlements .............................................. 13 1.2.6 Informal settlements in a global context .................................................................................... 14 1.2.7 Rationale of informal settlement rehabilitation and upgrading in Mumbai ............................ 15 1.2.8 Framework of the redevelopment in Mumbai ........................................................................... 16 1.2.9 Economic insight; corruption in India and informal economies .............................................. 17 1.3 Theoretical framework ....................................................................................................................... 18 1.3.1 The persistence of informal settlements and how they evolve .................................................. 18 1.3.2 The Right to the City .................................................................................................................... 19 1.3.3 Public-Private Partnerships ........................................................................................................20 1.3.4 Displacement and why people move .......................................................................................... 21 2 Method ....................................................................................................................................................... 22 2.1 Research design - A qualitative case study using mixed methods ................................................... 22 2.2 Literature review ................................................................................................................................ 22 2.3 Interviews ........................................................................................................................................... 23 2.4 Sampling ............................................................................................................................................. 24 2.4 Observations ....................................................................................................................................... 25 3 Results ....................................................................................................................................................... 26 3.1 Mumbai’s Informal Settlement Rehabilitation Scheme ................................................................... 26 3.1.1 Positive outcomes from the schemes and problems with achieving objectives ........................ 27 3.2 Gilbert Hill – Life in an informal settlement .................................................................................... 27 3.2.1 Research in the informal settlement – Reactions towards a stranger ...................................... 28 3.2.2 Social relations in Gilbert Hill - What factors help to keep people in Gilbert Hill? ................ 30 3.2.3 Improvements of Gilbert Hill ..................................................................................................... 32 3.2.4 Thoughts about moving or being removed from Gilbert Hill ................................................... 35 3.2.5 Resident’s ability to influence construction plans and the segregation within the area ......... 37 3.2.6 Problems with the Redevelopment Scheme .............................................................................. 39 3.2.7 Development trends in Mumbai ................................................................................................. 41 4 Discussion.................................................................................................................................................. 44 5 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................................... 55 6 Continued Research .................................................................................................................................. 56 References .................................................................................................................................................... 57 Appendix ....................................................................................................................................................... 61 Interview guide – informal settlement dwellers .................................................................................... 61 Interview guide – Planners, policy-makers, decision-makers ............................................................... 62 4 1 Introduction This project was based on a curiosity of how informal settlements worked and what the reason for their existence was.