The Dronagiri node of New Bombay (now Navi Mumbai) lies at the southernmost tip of the city, 7 km across the bay from Mumbai. Spread over 3800 hectares, this low-lying land was prone to daily flooding. Lakes and connecting water channels were used to contain the flooding, and they became the dominant attributes of the landscape. Its intersection with the continuous strips of green became the typological constraints or primary elements for neighbourhood sectors. A serious limitation was thus converted into an asset.
The three major commercial areas are cast as linking elements between the railway station and the waterfront to accommodate a mix of offices and shopping facilities. The resulting composition is a synthesis of elements to support a strong and clear visual identity at all levels and for all the parts – the neighbourhoods, commercial areas, industries and public spaces. There are thematic and legible relationships among housing, industries, facility, transportation networks and open spaces. The recognizable structural elements in design are flexible enough to allow variations in arrangement, form, and access for all income groups without destroying the thematic base.
The size and configuration of a typical sector has been planned with the aim of creating a low-rise, high-density development that accommodates a socially and economically diverse population, taking into account the role of the water channels in the provision of an efficient drainage system.
In order to fulfil the land requirement for all the components, the basic sector size is approx. ½ sq. km. Residential access roads in the form of loops and cul-de-sacs serve the two halves of a sector separated by a water channel that effectively impedes vehicular thoroughfare. Pedestrian movement between the two halves is facilitated by a linear open space system running across the water channel and dividing the sector into four quadrants. The quadrants are the flexible parts that can accommodate a variety of housing formations, including plotted development, sites and services, co-operative group housing, and real estate housing developments. The quantum of land allocated for the core area, consisting of the green strip and the water channel, is constant, while the exact delineation of these is left to the promoters. This helps mitigate the monotony and rigidity of a sector layout, creating a varied yet legible structure.
This township retrieves and reinvents the historical substance of Mumbai as a city on water, where life revolves around waterfronts, railway stations, long walks and public transport.