Celebrating The Formal-Informal Interface | Architecture Thesis on Community Development

Site Context

Mumbai’s built environment development over time is an example of urban fragmentation. There is no interaction between two publicly built entities. Rigid boundaries separate the two, resulting in physical and social isolation. Similar situations apply to the selected site in Kurla, Mumbai, which is surrounded by industrial areas and informal settlements. The site selected for intervention lies on the edge of the newly constructed Phoenix Market City Mall in Kurla, Mumbai, and the nearby informal settlements of Qureshi Nagar and Sanjay Nagar.

The Phoenix marketcity mall in Kurla can be considered as a starting point of the redevelopment process in the area. Mumbai’s Kurla neighbourhood is home to numerous new and old industrial zones as well as informal settlements. The mall is located on redeveloped steel industry land. During the redevelopment process, the BMC received 7.5% of the land for parking as a public amenity; the surrounding area is undeveloped and devoid of basic amenities. Only one segment of society is the focus of the amenities’ design. The goal of this project is to develop a model where new urban initiatives benefit both the surrounding community and the city’s prime users.

Design Process

Curating the Interface: The site provides an abrupt border between the formal and informal realms. The first step in initiating negotiations between the two sides will be to address the edge. Blurring the edges will facilitate osmosis. Integration and ownership of space can be exchanged virtually.

The objective is to create a ground for negotiations for both entities by creating an interface between the mall and the informal settlement. Tracing the physical condition revealed and made connections to the past, while also forging new ones. To identify areas of opportunity and make the edge condition permeable in the urban fabric, the function of the interface as an edge condition was studied.

An informal appropriation was made possible by the socio-spatial divergences that already existed in daily life and that were noted and mapped on-site through designated adaptable places. These places are the result of already-identified socio-spatial preferences and patterns, acting as triggers to start collaborative efforts.

To support the strong and intangible community networks that presently underpin the disparate urban patterns, the necessary social spaces and structures have been designed. A solid relationship between the formal and informal realms will be made possible by the intervention.

Through program-based overlap—common programmes serving both conflicted societies—and spatial overlap—creating a common interface between the informal settlement and the mall—strategies were developed to bring different user groups together.

Architecture as an experience: To create an architecture of negotiation tying both Informal (Informal settlements) and Formal (Mall) together, organic accesses and staggered figures were designed. Other design strategies included providing narrow alleyways and semi open spaces in between and structures with upper floors as overhangs and with double roofs.

Final Outcome

The final site plan consists of three distinct nodes: the urban node, the community node, and the neighbourhood node. Situated on the rigid edges, these nodes serve as an interface between the formal and informal domains. These nodes, with their community-inclusive functions and responsive nature, allow the edge condition to permeate the urban fabric.

Node 1: The Neighbourhood Node: The potential amenities offered by the neighbourhood node include a general store, kindergarten, public toilets, common laundry facilities, and a community gathering area.

A public lavatory is proposed as an extension of the neighbourhood’s communal area, to be utilised by the locals for everyday activities. Public toilets are designed as sitting areas that respond to neighbourhood nodes by taking into account the everyday activities and socio-spatial patterns observed there.

Addressing the stigma associated with public restrooms, a community gathering place is proposed with restrooms serving as secondary purposes. The addition of general shop and laundry services will allow for proper upkeep of the public restrooms.

The idea of a creche arose from the need to empower women in general who are unable to work and support themselves while also caring for their children. The creche’s layout, which resembles playful blocks with open and semi-open spaces in between, provides room for a variety of activities and helps children build relationships between the indoor and outdoor environments.

By including a semi-open enclosure, more events and activities could take place under one roof. This enclosure ensures safety while allowing unrestricted movement between spaces. These blocks are adjusted to adapt to the informal settlements’ existing fabric.

Node 2: The Community Node: Among the potential programmes included in the Community Node are a lunch home, computer lab + Internet cafe, counselling centre, NGO + Mandal office, sanitary pad production unit, workshop area + library, multipurpose event space, games court + youth centre, and performance space.

The Informal and Formal are connected by the Community Node. Functions for the development of individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are housed in the training centre. The layout of the informal settlement’s streets served as inspiration for its design. Thresholds are created as places of interaction by the informal settlement’s existing street pattern. The training centre’s individual blocks, which form different thresholds, are connected to create areas where the structures interact.

The structure is responsive to the informal settlement context and the community node on all three sides. The thresholds provide spill-out areas for community meetings and events, giving the entire scheme a multipurpose quality. Programmes in the training centre are stacked in accordance with their needs, drawing inspiration from the varied elevation pattern. A semi-open enclosure covers the area between two blocks. A large open space is formed by the multipurpose space opening up to the node.

People from the mall and the informal settlements are invited to engage in the same activities at the Community node’s Cultural Studio and Library. With its open floor plan and responsiveness to all three sides, the Community node, the garden, and the mall connections enable a variety of activities. Different functions are housed on different levels connected by ramps. The ground floor can be configured into a variety of areas that allow for different types of activities, with views of the garden.

Node 3: The Urban Node: The potential functions in the Urban Node comprise a cafe, a multipurpose event space, a souvenir shop, and administrative space.

All three sides—the garden, the side facing the Madrasa, and the side facing the informal settlements—provide access to the building. The building becomes a threshold that responds to all directions. A large area extends from the multipurpose space on the ground floor due to its open layout. The building serves as a transition space between the garden and the informal settlements.

Conclusion: Collectively, the thesis succeeds in creating a bridge between the formal and informal domains and initiates a catalytic response to redevelopment projects in the city. This is accomplished by weaving permeable areas into the urban fabric that allow people from all walks of life to gather and build.

[This Academic Project has been published with text submitted by the student]