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Mumbai has historically been India's commercial capital contributing significant tax revenues to both the state of Maharashtra and the central government. However, at present Mumbai is in reverse gear - lagging behind in economic growth and quality of life.
With the objective of transforming Mumbai into a world class city, we conducted a study with Bombay First - an organisation that works to improve the social and economic infrastructure of the city - and government institutions like the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and the Government of Maharashtra (GoM).
In the course of the study the team conducted interviews with key leaders in Mumbai, held brainstorming workshops with major government institutions, businesses and NGOs, and researched and developed case studies on five international and five domestic city transformations.
The study suggested that Mumbai needed $40 billion in investments over the next 10 years for its transformation. More importantly, it laid out a blueprint that comprised of an eight-pronged program to transform Mumbai into a world-class city. These are:
- Boost economic growth to 8 - 10 percent per annum by focusing on services ( high- and low-end), developing countryside-based manufacturing, and making Mumbai a consumption center.
- Improve and expand mass and private transport infrastructure, including linkages to the countryside.
- Dramatically increase low-income housing availability and affordability, and improve housing stock.
- Upgrade safety, air and water pollution control, sanitation, education, and health care.
- Create a dedicated "Mumbai Infrastructure Fund" with an annual funding of around US $ 300 million and attract debt and private financing.
- Make governance more effective, efficient, and responsive by making key departments operate like corporations and streamlining important processes such as building approvals.
- Generate momentum through quick wins: focus on some quick "on the ground" implementation that will be visible in a period of 1-2 years.
- Enable implementation through committed public-private resources and make key government organisations accountable for results.
The report, Vision Mumbai, played an important role in influencing policy makers both at the central and state levels to recognise and address the immediate need for urban renewal in the city. Taking off from the recommendations, the government of Maharashtra has established an Empowered Committee chaired by the Chief Secretary and Citizen Action Group to drive key projects like the Mumbai Metro and the Mumbai Trans Harbor Link. The recommendations made by Vision Mumbai also served as a useful basis to seek funding of over US $1 billion from the government of India for the transformation of Mumbai under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.
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