MUMBAIANTHROPOCENE

HOUSING,CULTURE,ANDNEWIMAGINARIESOFTHECITY'SINDUSTRIALCORE
UniversityofMichiganA.AlfredTaubmanCollegeofArchitecture+UrbanPlanning
UD722|Fall2013|UrbanDesignStudioII:(OneCity:SettlementSpatialitiesandTactics)
CharlesMooreVisitingAssistantProfessorV.MitchMcEwen
Fall/6Credits|Tuesday1pm6pmandFriday1pm6pm
Inthisway[modern]spacebecameor,rather,oncemorebecametheverythingwhichanearlier
philosophicaltradition,namelyPlatonism,hadproposedinoppositiontothedoctrineofcategories:it
becamewhatLeonardodaVincihadcalleda'mentalthing'.Theproliferationofmathematicaltheories
(topologies)thusaggravatedtheold'problemofknowledge':howweretransitionstobemadefrom
mathematicalspaces(i.e.fromthementalcapacitiesofthehumanspecies,fromlogic)tonatureinthefirst
place,topracticeinthesecond,andthencetothetheoryofsociallifewhichalsopresumablymust
unfoldinspace?
HenriLefebvre,TheProductionofSpace
TheFallsemesteroftheOneCityMasterofUrbanDesignstudiocontinuesinvestigationofMumbaiasa
globalmegacity.TheMumbaiAnthropocenestudioconsidersthedramaticallyshiftingfinancial
landscapeofrealestateinMumbaiasanopportunitytobringimmediateanalysisintodialogwithlongterm
considerationofenvironmentaltransformation.Todoso,thestudiolearnsfromrecentpostcolonialtheory
addressingglobalizationandindustrialhistorythroughgeologicalterms.ThepostHolocenegeological
epoch,termedtheAnthropocene,presentsthecontemporaryglobalsituationasoneofbothintense
agencyandconstraintsthepowerofhumanstosignificantlyimpacttheplanet'senvironmentatthe
geologicallevel.Consideredinthislight,theintersectionsofurbanismandgovernancequestionsofhow
humanitywilladdressthisscaleofeffect,whatwillbetheprocesses,themethodsofgovernance,and
actiondemandexpandedinnovationandimaginationinthedesignoftheurbanenvironment.
Pursuingthesechallenges,thestudioinvestigatesMumbaiasaspecificurbanmorphologydefinedasmuch
bybuiltstructuresandlandmassesasbyprocessesofgovernanceanddevelopment.Mumbaiservesas
anincrediblyimportantcityforcontemporaryinvestigationandresearch,asitisnotonlyaglobalmegacity,
butadensesiteofhighlypopulateddemocracy.Todiscoverthepotentialofcoordinatedactionstoaddress
theAnthropocene,thestudioactivelyexploresnewparadigmsforcollaboratingwiththepublicandvarious
scalesofcollectivity.
TheMumbaiAnthropoceneurbandesignresearchstudiotakesthegeologicalageofAnthropoceneasa
calltoreimaginethetermsandpossibilitiesofhousinginMumbai.Drawingfromworkinthehumanities,
includingSubalternStudies,postcolonialtheoryandrecenthistoricalworkdirectlyengagingwithgeology
andclimate,thestudioexploreshousingstrategiesspecifictoMumbaiasaplaceofglobality.Thestudio
considersMumbaiasnotonlyanepicenteroffinanceandrealestatespeculationbut,perhapsmore
importantly,themostpopulouscityinthemostpopulousdemocracyintheworld.Assuch,itbecomesa
sitetoinvestigateattheclosescaleofurbanhabitationthepotentialfordemocraticengagementwith
thevariouscrisesimpliedbytheAnthropocene.
Employment,migration,industrialdevelopmentthesesocialandeconomicparametersaredeeply
interconnectedwithhousing.Housingcannolongerbeplannedoutsideoftheseframes,orwerepeatthe
failuresoftransportationplanningofthe20thcenturysimplymorepolitely,withsmallercarsanddecorative
bikelanes.AsLefebvrenotedasadisciplinaryproblemintheconceptionofspace,"Sucha[technical]
knowledgecanonlybeconceivedofasseparatefrombothideologyandnonknowledge(i.e.fromlived
experience).Althoughanyseparationofthatkindisinfactimpossible,toevokeoneposesnothreatto
andindeedtendstoreinforceabanal'consensus'."Themethodologyofthestudioprioritizesthe
integrationofanalysiswithlivedexperiencewhetherpersonal,researched,orcollectedthroughall
phasesoftheproject'sdevelopment.
MumbaiAnthropocenetakesDipeeshChakrabarty'sarticulationoftherelationshipbetweenSubaltern
postcolonialismandtheAnthropoceneasaninvitationtoexpandthenotionofpragmatisminurbandesign.
Forexample,Whatifdisasterfyingrenderingadisasterevidentandtangiblemaybemoreproductivethan
beautifying?Theaestheticdimensionofurbandesignbecomesripeforexplorationwithinapoliticaland
geologicalframe.Studentsstartthesemesterwithananalyticalwhitepaperpresentinganargument
addressingtheregionalurbandynamicsofMumbaiinrelationshiptothenationalcontextofdemocratic
governanceandtheglobalcontextoftheAnthropoceneepoch.
Learningfromthecontemporaryhumanities'strategiesforconceptualizinginterrelatedparametersofself,
society,development,freedom,knowledgeandresponsibilitythestudioapproachessiteasanopportunity
forclosespatial'reading.'ThemillcomplexesownedbytheNationalTextileCorporationbecomethecore
sitethatthestudioinvestigatesthroughcrossdisciplinaryanalysisandproposals.Whetherdefinedbythe
1996ReportledbyCharlesCorreaorthe2006SupremeCourtrulingagainstBombayEnvironmentalAction
Grouporotherwise,thesemillcomplexesconstituteachargedterritoryforaddressingculture,
infrastructure,andhousingstandards.Questionsofpolicyareinvestigatedintandemwithexplorationsof
narrative,program,andform.Participantscollaborateinpairsandsmallgroupstodevelop
conceptuallydrivenstrategiestowardsiteselection,programwriting,residentialtypology,spatial
distribution,andopenspaceplanning.
MumbaiAnthropoceneaddressestheformerlyindustrialcoreofMumbai,atypologythatrepeatsitself
inmanycities,asasitetoinvestigateinfrastructural,social,cultural,economic,andmorphological
dynamicsofhumanimpactontheenvironment.Theserelationshipsbetweenlargescaleenvironmental
changeandlocalurbanismmaynotbeasdirectlyevidentastheimpactsofclimatechangeonwaterfront
areas.Thisstudiobuildsuponthefield'slastdecadeofintensiveresearchinwaterfrontsandrisingflood
levels,butdoesnotdefinethescopeofinvestigationbythistopography.Ifglobalgeologicalchangeistaken
seriouslyitwilldemandarethinkingoftheurbancore,notjustitsedgesandperipheries.
Studentswilldevelopasitewidestrategyforapproximately568,000squaremetersofdisaggregated
surfacearea.Siteanalysistakesintoaccountbothdevelopmentanddeteriorationthathasoccurredsince
theCorreaReport,especiallysincenationallawopenedMumbaitoforeignrealestateinvestmentin2005.
Studioparticipantswillcompletetheconceptualization,planninganddesignofahousingintensive
developmentprojectononeormoreformermillparcels.Thetotalsurfaceareadevelopedmustbea
minimumof75,000squaremetersandnotmorethan150,000squaremeters.
ParticipantswillmeetinMumbaiforresearchandworkshopsfromThursdayOctober10ththroughSaturday
October19,2013.ThisMumbaisitedportionwillincludeanexhibitionofthestudio'sworktoserveasa
platformforstudentstoengagewithlocalpractitioners,designers,policymakers,andspeculative
constituents.
Attached:Excerptsfrom"REPORTOFTHESTUDYGROUPONTHECOTTONTEXTILEMILLSIN
MUMBAI,PART1,"August1996(CorreaReport),courtesyofCharlesCorreaAssociates.
ImagecourtesyofartistPRADEEPDALAL,livesandworksinNewYorkCity.
Framework
SCALE:InfrastructuralPlan,MovementandThresholds,UnitPlan.Eachstudiopairwilladdresstheentire
siteofmorethan568,000squaremetersanddevelopahousingintensiveurbandesignforatleast75,000sq
meters.
PROGRAM:Social,Political,Geological.Detaileddevelopmentofalimitedscopeofhousingwillbe
required.Eachstudiopairmustestablishaclearprogramminggoalforthehousing.Thatis,whoisthe
housingforandwhatisitsrelationtoothersystemsandeventsinthecity,aswellasthebiogeochemical
parametersandglobalimplications.
GLOBALITY:Itisimpossibletopracticeurbandesigninthe21stcenturywithouttakingsomepositionon
theroleofcitiesinatransformingworld.Itmaybedebatedwhetherthistakestheformofanassumed
competitionbetweencities,anongoingexchange,therequirementtopreservesitespecificity,orotherwise.
ThestudiotakestheprovocationoftheAnthropoceneasaninitialframeworkforglobality,tobeaddressed
andinterpretedineachdesignproject.
Coursework
Week1:Sept6.MumbaiAnthropoceneWhitepaper.Analyticalargumentbasedupontheregionalscale
analysisandthefirstweek'sintroductiontoSubalternStudies,thepostcolonialandpostHolocene.Using
regionalresearchfromthesummerstudio,theargumentshouldaddresshumangeologyinMumbai.3
pages.
InitialReferencesinclude:
DipeshChakrabarty,"BerndM.SchererwithDipeshChakrabarty|Interview|TheAnthropocene"
GyanPrakash,TheUrbanTurn
GayatriChakravortySpivak,"AnAestheticEducationintheEraofGlobalization"
Week2:Sept13.DevelopMumbaiAnthropocenestrategiesoutlinedindraftwhitepaper.
ReferencereadingsfromtheThinkingSpacesegmentofthesyllabus.
Deliverables:
Globaldiagram
Analyticalmap1:20,000
Infrastructuralplan1:10,000
Urbanthresholds1:50
Week3:Sept20.Intraurbananalysis,industrialcore:NationalTextileCorporationMills
Reference readings and documents from the National Textile Corporation Mills and InnerMumbai
Developmentsegmentofthesyllabus.
Basemaps1:5,000
I.Transportroadsystem,rail,pedestrianandtransportzonesandvectors,intensitiesofmovement.
II.Watersupply
III.Sewerage,drainage,filtering
IV.Utilitiessupplyelectrical,gas
V.Telecommunications
VI.Developmentterritories
VII.Planting,vegetation,trees
VIII.Openspaces,culturaluses
Week4:Sept27.Review.Sitestrategies.Sitedetermination,housing,landuse,andsocialspace.
ReferencereadingsfromtheHumanGeologyandOnHousing&Societysegmentsofthesyllabus.[20%
ofsemestergrade]
Spatialtactic1:50
I.Thresholdparameters
II.Socialperformance
III.Infrastructuralalgorithms
Landusestrategy1:5,000
I.Landuseandthresholds
II.Housing
III.OpenSpace
IV.Infrastructure
Week5:Oct4.Densities,massing,andaggregation.
ReferencereadingsfromtheNeighborhoods,Cities,GlobalandSocialThresholdssegmentofthe
syllabus.
Siteplanningandmassing1:2,000
I.Habitationplan
II.OpenSpacesystems
III.Transportationaccess
IV.Publicspacesandpedestrianroutes
V.Publicworks
VI.Territoriesandecologicalbehaviors
Sections1:2,000
I.Thresholds
II.Groundstrata
III.Habitableorganization
IV.Verticalcirculation
Week6:Oct11.InMumbai.Siteresearch,datacollection,interviews.
Week7:Oct18.InMumbai.Pinup/popupexhibition.
Week8:Oct25.Midreview.Housingproposal.[25%ofsemestergrade]
Landusestrategy1:5,000
Connections&Thresholds1:2,000
Siteplanningandmassing1:2,000
SiteSections1:2,000
Spatialtactic1:50
Week9:Nov1.Financing/fundinganalysis.
ReferencereadingsfromtheOnDemocracyandOnHousing&Societysegmentsofthesyllabus.
Projectcalculations.
Housingunits
Investmenttotals
Pricespersqmeter
DevelopmentPlan1:2,000
I.Acquisitionofland
II.Zonessubjecttospecialconsideration
III.Phasing
Week10:Nov8.Pinup.EachteammustberegisteredforUNMassHousingCompetition,following
theseinstructionsonthefollowingwebsite:http://www.urbangateway.org/masshousingcompetition
http://www.masshousingcompetition.org/user/register
Siteplanningandmassing1:2,000
DevelopmentPlan1:2,000
ProjectPlans1:1,000
I.Accesspointsandegress
II.Connectionstotransportation
III.Programmaticdistribution
IV.Infrastructuralcoordination
ProjectSections1:1,000
I.Accesspointsandegress
II.Circulationcores
III.Programmaticdistribution
IV.Infrastructuralcoordination
V.Unitdistribution
UrbanDetail1:50
I.Socialspace
II.Threshold
III.Infrastructure
Week11:Nov15.Projectrenderingdue.
ReferencereadingsfromtheThinkingSpacesegmentofthesyllabus.
Elevation
UrbanDetail
Week12:Nov22.Review.Draftboards.Projectbrieftext(3pages).[20%ofsemestergrade]
http://www.masshousingcompetition.org/Reviewboardguidelines:
http://www.masshousingcompetition.org/guidelines#section6
Globaldiagram
Projectcalculations
Landusestrategy1:5,000scale
DevelopmentPlan1:2,000
Siteplanningandmassing1:2,000
ProjectPlans1:1,000
ProjectSections1:1,000
Elevation
UrbanDetail
Week13:Nov28.Thanksgiving.
Week14:Dec6.Finalpinup.Allrequireddrawingstoscale.Submitfinalprojectbrieftext.[5%of
semestergrade].
Week15:Dec10.Finalreviewweek(throughDecember20,2013).[30%ofsemestergrade**]
**Finalincludesfinalsubmittalofallfinaldrawingsatindicatedscales.
ReadingsandReferenceDocuments:
ThinkingSpace
HenriLefebvreTheProductionofSpace,PartsIVIII(p118)ofChapter1"PlanofthePresentWork"
GillesDeleuze,trans.byPaulPatton,DifferenceandRepetition,pp196208of"TheImageofThought"
NationalTextileCorporationMillsandInnerMumbaiDevelopment
CharlesCorrea,"ReportoftheStudyGroup:CottonTextileMillsonMumbai"
CharlesCorrea,"Section58"
CharlesCorrea,"TheGenesisoftheOneThirdConcept"
CharlesCorrea,"Citystructure"
PrasadShettyandRupaliGupte,"MultifariousNows"
NewYorkTimes,September10,2013,"AHousingSlumpinIndia,"KeithBradsherandNehaThiraniBagri
ParthaChatterjee,"AreIndianCitiesBecomingBourgeoisatLast?"inIndiraChandrasekharandPeterSeel,
eds.,body.city:SitingContemporaryCultureinIndia(NewDelhi:Tulika,2003).
LocalResources:
ExistingMHADAHousinginformation:http://mhada.maharashtra.gov.in/?q=affordablehousing
CessBuildingDatabase:http://103.23.150.206/mhada.html
HumanGeology
ACountryofCities:AManifestoforanUrbanAmerica,VishaanChakrabarti,Cities,Sustainability,and
Resilience(75102)
DipeshChakrabarty,Eurozine,2009,"Theclimateofhistory:Fourtheses"
PaulCrutzen,Nature,2002,"GeologyofMankind"
WillSteffen,PaulJ.CrutzenandJohnR.McNeill,RoyalSwedishAcademyofSciences2007,"The
Anthropocene:AreHumansNowOverwhelmingtheGreatForcesofNature?"
OnHousing&Society
Maheshwari&Co.,"ForeignDirectInvestmentinRealEstateSector"
Beyondinformalandformalwildbuilding,legalsystemsandhousingmodels
DubravkaSekulic,GlotztNichtsoRomantisch!OnExtralegalSpaceinBelgrade,pp5577of"OUR(s)is
Mine"
ACountryofCities:AManifestoforanUrbanAmerica,VishaanChakrabarti,BuildingHyperdensityand
CivicDelight(127154)
TheBuellCenter,TheBuellHypothesis,1.AForeclosedFuture?"SuburbsareCities"3038
Neighborhoods,Cities,GlobalandSocialThresholds
StavrosStavrides,Chapter5,p94100TowardstheCityofThresholds"Thetheatricalcity"and
"Neighborhoodsandmanageableproximity"
GuyDebord,TheSocietyoftheSpectacle,Chapter3"UnityandDivisionWithinAppearances"
SUSTAINABLEHOUSINGforSUSTAINABLECITIES:APOLICYFRAMEWORKFORDEVELOPING
COUNTRIES,UNHabitat,Chapter1and2
OnDemocracy
JohnStuartMill,vii"NoteontheAuthorandEditor",Utilitarianism,ConsiderationsonRepresentative
Government,RepresentativeGovernment,Chapt2,198217"TheCriterionofaGoodFormofGovernment"
JohnStuartMill,Utilitarianism,ConsiderationsonRepresentativeGovernment,OnLiberty,Chapt3pp123
142"OfIndividuality,asoneoftheElementsofWellbeing"
GyanPrakash,TheUrbanTurn
ManfredoTafuri,ArchitectureandUtopia:DesignandCapitalistDevelopment,Chapter2"Formas
RegressiveUtopia"
Stavrides,TowardstheCityofThresholds,TrentoItaly:Professionaldreamers,2011,Chapter1"Exemplary
metropolitanrhythmsandthecityofenclaves"