Luxe and Lively: H-West Ward in Mumbai Struggles with Open Space Deficit

Mumbai: With luxury towers, fine-dining restaurants, pubs, and cafes at virtually every corner, BMC's H-West ward, comprising Bandra (W), Khar (W), and Santacruz (W), is the costliest property market in suburban Mumbai. However, a new study by the Bombay Greenway Foundation reveals a stark reality: this hip and vibrant urban sprawl, with an estimated population of 3.2 lakh, has just 0.81 sq m or less than 9 sq ft of public open space per person. This figure includes only spaces that are freely accessible, such as parks, promenades, beaches, and public playgrounds.

It stands in sharp contrast to the World Health Organization's recommended minimum of 9 sq m per person — and far below typical figures cited for major global cities (often in the 15-30 sq m per person range for green/open space in cities such as Paris, New York, and London). The Bandra-based foundation, helmed by architect Alan Abraham, will host a three-day exhibition titled ‘The Everyday City: H/W Ward Reimagined' at Bombay Art Society in Bandra Reclamation from Thursday. The exhibition will be inaugurated by Bandra MLA Ashish Shelar.

'We selected H-West ward because it's a microcosm of the city and a very cosmopolitan area,' said Abraham. One of the pain points is the rash of redevelopment happening across this ward with ground-plus three- and four-storey buildings being pulled down and 18- to 20-storey towers coming up on narrow roads. In Bandra, well-known hotspots like Turner Road, Linking Road, and Pali Hill are currently seeing unabated construction activity where low-rise buildings are being replaced by high-rises.

Interestingly, while this ward has public open spaces like Carter Road and Bandstand seafront promenades (totalling 4.2km), Joggers' Park, and Patwardhan Park, the study found that 30% of open space in H-West ward is restricted or private. For every 1 sq m of public playground, 2.1 sq m is private and inaccessible. Many public spaces are locked for large parts of the day.

'Open space is not a luxury or a visual amenity. It is basic urban infrastructure — like water or transport. The issue in H-West ward is not just land availability, but access, management, and equity,' said Abraham. Architect Samir D' Monte added that work done by architects in Bandra has shown that ideas can transform from being on paper to being executed in real life.

'Some examples are the Carter Road Promenade, the work at Bandra station, and the work in Ranwar Village. So, ideas can transform from being in the mind to making a big difference in the city,' he said. Incidentally, H-West ward's average of 0.81 sq m of public open spaces per person is virtually identical to a survey done by an MMRDA-funded project over a decade ago. That survey found that Greater Mumbai has 30 sq km of open spaces, of which only 10.5 sq km are freely accessible to the public, while the actual open space in use works out to 0.88 sq m per person.