Title of Research

DE-GENERALIZING SLUMS
FOR A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE

Dissertation Report
Submitted by

Sohini Ganguly

in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of

BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE DEGREE

DC College of Architecture & Design

DCSMAT, Pullikkanam
Vagamon – 685 503

June 2018
 DISSERTATION CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the Dissertation Report entitled “De-generalizing slums- for a better quality
of life” submitted by Sohini Ganguly to the Department of Architecture, College of Engineering,
Trivandrum is a bonafide record of research work carried out by him/her under my supervision.
The contents of this report, in full or in parts, have not been submitted to any other Institute or
University.

Vagamon Ar. Deepak V

Date: Dissertation Guide

Internal Examiner External Examiner

[Details] [Details]

Ar. George A. Aikarakunnel

Head of the Department

DC College of Architecture
Pullikkanam, Vagamon.

1
 Acknowledgement

The project is a result of support from the Faculty, Principal, batch co-ordinator, professors

and teachers of DC School of Architecture and Design, Vagamon.

My sincere thanks goes to Ar. Asha Deepak for guiding me throughout this book. I’d like to

specifically mention and thank Ar. George A. Aikarakunnel and Ar. James Joseph for giving

me their support throughout my academic course.

1
 [Sohini Ganguly] [Sohini Ganguly]

DE GENERALIZING SLUMS- FOR A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE

Abstract

Slum dwellers face a lot of problems due to economic, social and environmental problems.

Their living is below the defined standards of living with respect to space resources and

economy. The study is to bring about change in their quality of life through a detailed study of

their typology and a qualitative study of the slums.

In order to do that, the slums are de-generalized. In Mumbai, the slum settlements vary

according to occupation, location and religion. Other minute factors also contribute to the

variation. The factors that make each of the settlements unique, their unplanned efficiency and

their qualitative defects are studied. One such example is taken and solutions are provided to

the problems derived through the qualitative study of that particular slum, hence proving that

not generalizing slums and their details study offers a better quality of life.

Our aim is to bring about architectural, planning and social changes based on the parameters

set through the definition of “quality of life” and prove that de-generalizing such vast but

specific areas is an efficient way of developing slums.

The design or the fundamentals of the study may be used in the future in other designs related

to slum dwellings in a wider context and not just that of Mumbai.

1
 Table of Contents

Table of Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1
Terms .................................................................................................................................................... 4
Slums : A general study ............................................................................................................ 6
Socio cultural study of Mumbai ............................................................................................................ 8
Water ................................................................................................................................................ 8
Electricity .......................................................................................................................................... 9
Sanitation .......................................................................................................................................... 9
Education and Occupation..............................................................................................................11
Slum Habitation in Mumbai ................................................................................................................13
Spatial condition of Mumbai ..........................................................................................................14
Electricity .......................................................................................................................................... 9
Sanitation .......................................................................................................................................... 9
Education and Occupation..............................................................................................................11
Slums : De-generalization ....................................................................................................... 16
Examples .............................................................................................................................................17
Kumbharawada, Dharavi ................................................................................................................17
Kunchikorve Nagar, Kalina ..............................................................................................................20
Qureshi Nagar, Kurla.......................................................................................................................23
Shiv Krupa Society, Govandi ...........................................................................................................27
Behrampada, Bandra East ..............................................................................................................30
Darukhana, Reay Road....................................................................................................................33
Need for De-generalization ....................................................................................................................36

Qualitative study: Kumbhawada ........................................................................................... 37

Setting Parameters .............................................................................................................................37
Qualitative analysis .............................................................................................................................38
Durability ........................................................................................................................................38
Convenience ...................................................................................................................................40
Beauty .............................................................................................................................................42
Satisfaction and happiness – emotions ..........................................................................................44
Inference................................................................................................................................... 45
References ................................................................................................................................ 47

1
DE-GENERALIZING SLUMS
FOR A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE

1
 Chapter 1
Introduction

The living situation of the urban poor in today’s time worsens as the density of the country
radically increases. The planning and redevelopment projects being proposed and executed today
all aim at giving the residents more space and resources for a healthier and comfortable living.
But they also tend to generalize slums and rehabilitate the dwellers in multi storied buildings.
Health problems arise due to insufficient lighting and ventilation in poorly executed projetcs.
Some buildings have hampered facilities like lifts, etc. which then add to the inconvenience of
the tenants. But the main problems that arise when the SRA generalizes slums and provides
rehabilitation are those related to lifestyle. The slum areas in Mumbai cannot be considered as
that of the same type and vary on the basis of occupation, religion and location. The paper aims
at studying the variations and carrying forward a qualitative analysis of one of the slum areas in
Mumbai. Solutions are provided for problems recognized through the qualitative study in order to
improve the quality of their life.

HYPOTHESIS

Supporting studies that prove that qualitative change in lifestyle can be brought in by not
generalizing slums and working on their site and sociology specific environment.

AIM

To improve the quality of life in slums by breaking down the generalized term, recognizing its
site and sociology specific character and developing based on the later.

OBJECTIVES

 Defining slums in international, Indian and local context.

 Defining the term “Quality of life”

1
  Broad spectrum study of slums.
 Proving why the term “slums” cannot be generalized when working towards its
development.
 Determining areas and settlements through literature case studies and/or live case studies.
 Determining a need for de-generalization.
 Running a qualitative analysis on one of the above studied slum settlements.
 To analyse and identify the qualitative design problems and suggest solutions for the
same.

SCOPE OF STUDY

Qualitative improvement of the lifestyle of slum dwellers.

LIMITATION

 Inability to perform a live case study due to time limitations.

 Basis of study is through findings based in Mumbai.

2
3
TERMS

1. QUALITY OF LIFE

Quality of life (QOL) is a multifaceted concept used by a variety of disciplines and at different
spatial levels. The theoretical aspect of QOL relates to happiness, life satisfaction and needs
satisfaction approaches. It is a complex construct, and its measurement is multidimensional.
(Authors, 2013)

The historical domains of durability, convenience and beauty continue to be a valid model
because they are meant to be a reflection of the quality of life of individuals at a given time. (N
Boschi, 2002)

2. HOUSEHOLDS

The members of a single family living together in a residence.

3. SLUMS

International definition

UN-HABITAT defines a slum household as a group of individuals living under the same roof in
an urban area who lack one or more of the following:

 Durable housing of a permanent nature that protects against extreme climate conditions.
 Sufficient living space which means not more than three people sharing the same room.
 Easy access to safe water in sufficient amounts at an affordable price.
 Access to adequate sanitation in the form of a private or public toilet shared by a
reasonable number of people.
 Security of tenure that prevents forced evictions

– UNITED NATIONS HABITAT

National definition

“A Slum, for the purpose of Census, has been defined as residential areas where dwellings are
unfit for human habitation by reasons of dilapidation, overcrowding, faulty arrangements and
design of such buildings, narrowness or faulty arrangement of street, lack of ventilation, light, or

4
sanitation facilities or any combination of these factors which are detrimental to the safety and
health.

 Notified Slums‐ All notified areas in a town or city notified as ‘Slum’ by State, Union
Territory Administration or Local Government under any Act including a ‘Slum Act’.
 Recognized Slums‐ All areas recognised as ‘Slum’ by State, Union Territory
Administration or Local Government, Housing and Slum Boards, which may have not
been formally notified as slum under any Act
 Identified Slums‐ A compact area of at least 300 populations or about 60‐70 households
of poorly built congested tenements, in unhygienic environment usually with inadequate
infrastructure and lacking in proper sanitary and drinking water facilities.”

- HOUSING STOCK, AMENITIES & ASSETS IN SLUMS - CENSUS 2011

Local definition

In Maharashtra, the definition of slums for purposes of policy formulation is found in the
Maharashtra Slum (Area Improvement, Clearance and Redevelopment) Act, 1971. A ‘Competent
Authority’ (generally the Collector) is authorised to declare an area as a slum if the ‘Competent
Authority’ is satisfied that “(The) area is or may be a source of danger to health, safety or
convenience of the public of the area or of its neighbourhood, by reason of the area having
inadequate or no basic amenities, or being insanitary, squalid, overcrowded or otherwise or; The
buildings in any area used or intended to be used for human habitation are: a. In any respect, unfit
for human habitation or b. By reasons of dilapidation, overcrowding, faulty arrangement and
design of such building, narrowness or faulty arrangement of streets, lack of ventilation, light or
sanitation facilities or any combination of these factors, detrimental to the health” 2 The Act
further specifies the criteria for “determining whether the buildings are unfit for human
habitation”, which include – “repairs, stability, freedom from dampness, natural light and air,
provision of water supply, provision for drainage and sanitary convenience, and facilities for the
disposal of waste water”. The Act directs that – “the building shall be deemed to be unfit if ,and
only if , it is so far defective in one or more of the said matters that it is not reasonably suitable
for occupation in that condition”. (Shetty, 2010)

5
 Chapter 2
SLUMS: A GENERAL STUDY

Mumbai is the city with the 4th largest percentage of slums in the world and a literacy rate of
about 69%. The slums consist of both residences and businesses. The urban poor stay in three
different hierarchy of spaces. The average slum dwelling is a pluralistic space of around 18-
20sqm. The electricity and water supply is pirated. The education scenario is improving and the
use of technology is people’s life, irrespective of the social and economic status, is also
increasing. Here, in this chapter, we study about Mumbai’s diversity and slum dwellings in
detail.

41% OF MUMBAI’S POPULATION LIVES IN SLUMS

6
7
SOCIO-CULTURAL STUDY OF MUMBAI

WATER

The table on the left depicts the source of drinking

water to the slums in India as a whole. The chart on the right depits the percentage of
slumdwellers purchasing water from shops. - CENSUS 2011

In Mumbai, the slum dwellers purchase water from an illegal private system in which motorized
pumps suck in underground water that travels hundreds of meters in order to reach the slums.
They get water for a few specific hours of a day. The other percentage of population take their
water from other taps in neighboring slums and pay the “owner” in order to do so. The said
owner is generally another slum dweller whos dwelling is near the tap. Occassionally, private
tankers are arranged in order to supply water to the slums.

8
ELECTRICITY

Table showing source of lighting in slums in India- Census 2011

Most houses receive electricity in the slums in Mumbai but the power isn’t safe or reliable. The
dwellers receive power cuts daily lasting long hours. The electricity isn’t government provided. It
It is pirated and the whole community shares the same.

SANITATION

9
The table shows the drainage, toilet and latrine facilities in slums all over India respectively. –
Census 2011

Mumbai slum dwellings have shared community toilets which are generally either open or metal
sheeted walls without a roof. The main problems that slums face are sanitation relation.

Human waste, waste water and garbage being carried out of the slums in open trenches.

10
Semi open and closed trenches in the slum areas.

EDUCATION AND OCCUPATION

There was a time when NGOs struggled to get the people of the slums to educate themselves and
their children, offering meals and stationary on a regular basis in exchange for dwellers to attend
classes. Now, the literacy rate in the slums in Mumbai has increased to 69% making it the most
literate slum in the country. In addition to that, there are about 5000 businesses and 15000 single-
room factories set out in the Dharavi.

Now, not only the education is taken seriously but art is also being encouraged in communities.
NGOs now perform workshops in schools with quiet impressive responses from students. Here,
as time and society develops, art is not just restricted to fine arts. Youngsters in the communities
now indulge in music, theatre and photography as well.

11
Article from The Hindu- published on April 12, 2018

The pictures to the right are from various other art projects held in Dharavi.

12
SLUM HABITATION IN MUMBAI

Mumbai is the 4th most populous city in the world with about 2.2 crore people residing in city
boundaries. 41% of Mumbai’s population consists of slum dwellers comprising of 90 lakh
people.

Dharavi is the largest slum in India comprising 1 million people in a mere 535 acres of land. The
density is 600-2000 people per acre.

The following tables show the assets used by slum dwellers in India as a whole – Census 20111

The average size of dwellings varies from 12sqm-20sqm with an average of 5 people per
dwelling.

13
STUDY OF SPACIAL SITUATION IN MUMBAI

Dwelling rooms may include Living Rooms, Dining Rooms, Bedrooms, etc. as long as the
special requirements are satisfies.

Dwelling rooms do not include Kitchens, Toilets, Latrines, Storage, Passages, etc.

No exclusive rooms are dwellings where only one room is used by one or more than one
households in total as dwelling rooms.

14
The conclusion of a study held on settlement pattern and behavior after a rehabilitation
program was successfully carried out in Ahmedabad:

Indeed, even among a gathering of slum inhabitants who campaigned hard for the chance to
move into open lodging outside of the slums, at last not very many thought that it was ideal to
leave the city area. Fourteen years subsequent to lodging task, just 34% stayed openly lodging
and the larger part had come back to the slums. Confirmation from other lodging portability
programs recommends that the Colony A program was not an exception. For example, a study
directed by us in 2007 of members in another lodging program in Ahmedabad (where recipients
were again picked 24 by lottery) demonstrated that lone 46% of champs or their relatives were
living in the unit they won only over two years in the wake of winning it. The fundamental
strategy exercise is that it is difficult to make open lodging migration programs adequately
appealing for the poor in creating nations to take them up, so this may seldom be the ideal
approach reaction to lodging worries of slum populaces. A noteworthy imperative seems, by all
accounts, to be the severance of social ties and the subsequent loss of casual protection that goes
with movement, which was too exorbitant to make even profoundly sponsored open lodging in
suburbia advantageous for most members in our setting. While strategy creators ordinarily
recognize expenses of movement projects, for example, expanded driving circumstances or
separation to wellbeing and instruction offices, such expenses can in principle be helped with
better open transportation or focused on rural foundation. The pulverization of social capital that
originates from reshuffling slum groups is a welfare misfortune that can't be so effortlessly
reconstructed. Albeit new ties might be shaped in the long run, slum migration programs as they
are ordinarily imagined devastate financially significant social capital by disjoining joins that
may have advanced and reinforced in the area over decades and that possible outcome from the
ideal arranging of people into enclaves. Our discoveries recommend that elective approaches, for
example, all inclusive movement projects might be more suitable for slum inhabitants. On the
other hand, slum redesigning programs that don't endeavor to move individuals at all might be a
less inefficient way to deal with open lodging strategy in creating nations.

15
 Chapter 3
SLUMS: DE-GENERALIZATION

Most redevelopment projects now are focused on legal tenure and adequate living conditions. In
turn, most households move out of the houses given to them after redevelopment due to
economic, built form and cultural disruptions. This kind of redevelopment is hardly workable in
places like Dharavi where the majority occupations include recycling of plastic, production of
earthenware, recycling of scrap, food product production, leather production, household product
manufacture, garment manufacture, etc. redevelopment without special consideration for their
cultural and economic background will result in a wipe-out of the industries in turn resulting in a
major loss of jobs. Hence the most efficient way of developing slums is to conduct a detailed
study of the cultural, economic, social and built form related characteristics.

The CRIT (Collective Research Initiatives Trust) in Mumbai carried out case studies and wrote a
paper on slum settlement studies in Mumbai. The study is carried out to understand the typology
of slum settlements and shows various settlements having varying typologies. Referring to that,
we will study 6 different slum settlements and argue that different slum settlements cannot be
clubbed under one rubric.

16
 EXAMPLE 1: KUMBHARWADA, DHARAVI

Most of Dharavi’s built form has a close relationship with the inhabitants, their occupation and
their activity. This is a hundred year old potter’s settlement in the centre of Mumbai.

Each house is typically a narrow rectangle. The house is used as a residence, a shop and as
storage for raw materials, intermediate products and tools. The ground floor is typically made of
brick and sometimes with wooden/steel frames and tin sheet claddings. The upper floor is either
made with wooden/steel frames and tin/cement sheet claddings.

The space in between houses forms the roads. These roads are sometimes used as kilns or spaces
for storage- in turn blocking ad littering the space. The front part of the houses facing the road
consists of a small shop area with the finished works displayed. The shop is followed by the
living area which is then followed by the workshop where all the work is carried out and the
finished and intermediate works along with tools and raw materials are stored.

17
Like most of Dharavi, every slum dwelling is an enterprise. The development plans used in such
areas must keep in mind the close interaction between residences and the dwellers occupation.

18
PHOTODOCUMENTATION

19
 EXAMPLE 2: KUNCHIKORVE NAGAR, KALINA

Located in Santacruz East near Air India colony, this settlement is 55 years old. Around 21000
people occupy a 7.3 hectare of land. The inhabitants belong to the Kunchikorve community and
are also called Makadwallas. Originally from Solapur and Sangli, they organized street shows
with trained monkeys. Now the women mainly earn their livelihoods by making brooms. Others
in the community now do government jobs like working in BEST, airports, railways, etc.

Apart from residences, this settlements comprises of tin sheds turned into automobile repair
shops, garages and shops selling scrap parts. All residences have individual metres and receive
legal water supply. The area comprises of 3 public toilets. 15 out of every 100 houses have their
own toilet. Waste water flows through open channels which are covered only at certain places.
These channels run along the houses. The garbage is thrown in a few open grounds.

20
There are two types of dwellings in this settlement:

1. Single storied- Constructed with brick. The roof consists of tin sheets. Consists of an
average of two to three rooms and may/may not have a veranda towards the entrance.
2. Double storied- Constructed with steel frames with tin sheet cladding. Roof is also made
with tin sheets. These generally have a comparatively smaller ground cover. Each floor
consists only of a single room. 35% of the upper floor of these dwellings are generally
rented out and are accessed by metal ladders.

They receive electricity from 4.30am to 9.15pm every day. This settlement is prone to flooding in
the monsoon and other disasters like fire are difficult to manage since the entrances are narrow
and insufficient for fire truck to enter.
21
PHOTODOCUMENTATION

22
 EXAMPLE 3: QURESHI NAGAR, KURLA

Also called Umerwadi, approximately 7200 households reside in this colony. Each household
consists of 7-8 people. This is a butcher’s colony with a majority of Muslims. This settlement is
more than a hundred years old. The unplanned but evolved architectural typology highly reflects
the ruling occupation in this area.

23
There are animal fat godowns in the slums where most families earn their daily wages from by
working as labour. The settlement has a central bazaar with shops selling food, groceries,
garments, etc. the street also has a municipal hospital and school.

The houses here are row houses called chawls by the locals (not the legal definition) that touch
each other on the sides. They are separated by roads on the front and the back.

The houses only have one single window in order to keep the insides devoid of the smell coming
from the butcher shops and animal fat godowns outside. The construction materials for the
houses vary from house to house using timber, brick, steel or even RCC. The roof is made out of
either GI or Cement sheets. The houses are double to triple storied dwellings accessed by metal
or timber ladders. Each floor has a ground cover of about 10’X10’ to 12’X12’. All of these
houses have a “nahani ghar” or a “mori” where water is stored and is used for bathing. Very few
houses have toilets inside the houses. The sewage from these rooms are carried out by thin drains
which may or may not be covered. The open drains are generally full of garbage. Utensils and
clothes are washed out on the street. Water pipes along with sewage pipes run along the streets.

The animal fat that is stored in open spaces inside metal drums is used to make toothpastes and
soaps. This produces bad odour and is a huge influence to the settlement. A single connection of
water is shared by 6-8 households and each dwelling has their own pump enclosed by a metal
cover and a lock. The garbage bins in the main streets overflow most of the time. A large and
dense network of cables hang from the over the roofs of houses.

Animal fat is stored in the open spaces. This fat is used to make toothpastes and soaps. Fat is
stored in metal drums and produces a bad odour. The only source of drinking water in the
settlement is through shared connection with a group of 6 to 8 households on each connection,
sharing the supply for duration of 5 hours daily. All the people staying in the chawl have their
own pumps, which are enclosed with a metal cover and a lock. The main bazaar street also has
municipal garbage bins that generally overflow with garbage. Water pipelines and sewage lines
run parallel to the streets which are 1.5M to 2M wide. Electrical meters are placed just below the
staircases. Dense network of cables hang from roof tops.

A part of Qureshi Nagar is located along railway tracks. These houses also touch each other on
the sides. The lower floors of these houses have shops and the upper floors are residences that are
generally rented out by owners. Some families without toilets in their houses use a public toilet
funded by NGOS and the World Bank. Others use the railway tracks.

24
Houses in Qureshi Nagar and the houses located near the railway tracks.

25
PHOTODOCUMENTATION

26
 EXAMPLE 4: SHIV KRUPA SOCIETY, GOVANDI

This 45 year old settlement is situated in a .06 hectares of land with about 200 people residing in
it. It is a Maharashtrian Hindu community where most women work on the basis daily wages like
working as maids, supplying homely lunches, etc. The other people in the community either
work in government offices or in private enterprises. This community is a good example of how
the living can be upgraded by addition of toilets in homes. These toilets were added by the
municipal corporation in the year 2000.

These are generally single, double or triple storied houses where the upper floor is rented out by
the owners staying on the ground floor. The width of the street like corridors between dwellings
ranges from two feet to four feet. The scale brings about a communal sense in the settlement. All
the houses are brick with steel construction; also having stone floors. The ground cover is around
150 square feet and the built up ranges from 150 to 500 square feet. Steps have already been
taken to develop this slum settlement by the people. They have an organization called Shiv Krupa
Rahivasi Sangh that manages development in the area. They also manage the sewer line laid
under the Slum Sanitation program. The houses are places back to back with a sewer separating
them on the backside of the houses. Yet, there are still families that did not participate in the

27
program that use public toilets. This is a major reason as to why the Shiv Krupa Society is still
considered a slum settlement. Water is supplied to the houses for a good 3-5 hours a day.

28
PHOTODOCUMENTATION

29
 EXAMPLE 5: BEHRAMPADA, BANDRA EAST

This settlement spreads out in a 3.3 hectare area and is occupied by 25000 inhabitants. This 60
year old settlement is located near the Western Express Highway and houses a huge number of
garment industries like Zari work, embroidery, tailoring, dyeing, etc. Most houses have
individual water meters and the water is supplied by the municipality. This area doesn’t have a
sewage system. The sewage flows through a narrow nullah. 8 public toilets are placed in the
vicinity and the inhabitants tend to use the railway tracks to defecate.

These four-six storied buildings are made out of steel sections and the walls are made out of tin,
plywood or cement sheets. Tin sheets form the roof of the structure. The cantilevered porches are
accessed through ladder like stairs. The ground floor has shops or are rented out by owners of the
building, the upper floors are rented out to labourers and the top most floor form community
spaces.

30
31
PHOTODOCUMENTATION

32
 EXAMPLE 6: DARUKHANA, REAY ROAD

This settlement stretched along the eastern waterfront and forms a part of the Mumbai port. The
name of the slum settlement comes from the gunpowder production industry that once caused
this settlement currently consisting of more than 2000 families to form. Now, all kinds of illegal
activities happen in his area and is famous for its smuggling activities.

Most of the industries spring from the shipbreaking yards nearby. The industries process and sell
steel and other material from the dismantled ships. Lot of timber, coal, sand is unloaded from
ships into this area before it enters the dock- making up for a percentage of the inhabitant’s
wages. Some men also do labour work for wages.

The boys are sent to a school nearby whereas majority of the girls are kept at home. A
community tap is the only source of water shared by the whole community which transfers the
33
water into 35 litre cans and distributes it from place to place. One single family need at least 8
cans of water on a daily basis. The sanitation system is poor and there are no proper public toilets
in the area. Although, every dwelling has legal electricity supply.

The houses built both on the landward (double storied dwellings) and the seaward (single storied
dwellings) side. The houses on the seaward side are built on stilts that are constructed during low
tides and fixed firmly to the sea floor. The walls are mace of tine sheets or plywood and tiny
openings as windows. Roofs are also made of tin and layered with tarpaulin. Upper floors of the
houses are accessed by ladders. The main streets have shops for vegetables, grocery, barber
shops, etc.

The settlement is built over Mumbai port trust which leases the land to ship breaking companies
for as short a term as half a month. Hence, the plot has shifting boundaries. The trust has
demolished the settlements many times which the inhabitants have constantly rebuilt.

34
PHOTODOCUMENTATION

35
NEED FOR DE-GENERALIZATION

In places like Kumbharwada, a family consisting of 6-8 people, stays in a 600-800 sq ft dwelling.
The government now, is coming up with redevelopment programs like the Dharavi
redevelopment plan where the government is offering 225 sqft flats to the dwellers in high rises.
Apart from the failure of high rises in a community settlement like this where the residents of the
dwellers are majorly influenced by their occupation, the idea of a 225 sqft house is not enough
for large families.

Similarly, the Qureshi Nagar residents cannot adjust their cattle and their 4am-12am job to a high
rise lifestyle. Other slum settlements like Darukhana also face the same problems.

This is the main reason for the failure of the majority of the slum development plans proposed by
different parties. The execution of such plans will result in a decrease in the dwellers satisfaction.
The lifestyle and the social status of the people is what has made them create a community of
their own where the take the worst of situations, adjust and sacrifice, and end up making the best
of it. This has been going on for years to a point now where they are happy with their life.

Hence, in order to attain a slum-free state, we need to study the typology, sociology, economy of
specific/individual settlements and build upon those characters. This is how be attain a good
quality of life.

36
 Chapter 4
QUALITATIVE STUDY: KUMBHAWADA

In order to prove that quality of life can only be improved by de generalizing slums, we conduct
a qualitative analysis of settlements. In this analysis, we set our parameters, we determine the
current state of one of the settlements studied above according to the parameters and we suggest
solutions to attain the problems recognized through analysis.

SETTING PARAMETERS

Quality of life (QOL) is a multifaceted concept used by a variety of disciplines and at different
spatial levels. The theoretical aspect of QOL relates to happiness, life satisfaction and needs
satisfaction approaches. It is a complex construct, and its measurement is multidimensional.
(Authors, 2013)

The historical domains of durability, convenience and beauty continue to be a valid model
because they are meant to be a reflection of the quality of life of individuals at a given time. (N
Boschi, 2002)

According to the definitions mentioned above, we assume that the following factors relate to the
quality of life of people in general:

1) Durability
2) Convenience
3) Beauty
4) Happiness
5) Satisfaction

Also note that, durability, convenience and beauty are to be attained in order to attain
satisfaction. Satisfaction then leads to happiness.

In this paper, we will analyse the Kumbharwada settlement with respect to the factors mentioned
above.

37
QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS

38
39
40
As an example, two or more dwellings can be combined and separate spaces for their workshop
and storage can be provided in the same unit. The challenge here will be to figure out how many
dewllings can be efficiently combined together without disrupting the dwellers inconvinience and
business. The sharing of the ownership of land can be achieved by “plot amulgamation”schemes.

41
42
43
SATISFACTION AND HAPPINESS - EMOTIONS

Development that makes the life of the dwellers convinient, that makes the changes durable and
sustainable and that enhances the beauty of the settlement leads to increase in economy, building
of spaces in the range of human comfort, increases the interraction between the slum dwellers
and the rest of the state. It also creates room for growth.

But, while developing in an environment like this, we much make sure that the chhange is
gradual or at a dose that can be handled by the people. That the change works around the
emotions of the dwellers.

According to the current lifestyle of the people, they have a very thin differenciation between
exteriors and interiors. At nights, when the whether gets too hot, they pull their cots out and
sleep. Late night gambling and drinking on the streets, busy and bustling markets where residents
are familiar with the faces around them. The neighborhood system and emotional attachement is
strong in the cases of slums since the whole community sufferes together and picks each other
up. This already creates a sense of happiness and strengthamong the dwellers. All of this leads to
dweller satisfaction. Hence, the changes brought into this kind of settlement has to either
highlight the sense of community or atleast respect and build upon it.

Theorotically, after these changes are made, the settlement slowly moves away from the
definition of slums and turns into legally and standardized habitable spaces. Happiness quotient
among the dwellers was already there in this case but with the changes made to the surroundings,
it increases.

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 Chapter 5
INFERENCE

The paper, through the study of different slum settlements and analysis of one of the settlements
concludes provide a good quality of life to slum dwellers, the term “slum” must be de-
generalized – specified according to location, occupation, social conditions and economic
conditions. Due to the low standards of living, the people in slums have slowly settled into their
lifestyle. Any attempt at changing their way of living or their surroundings, causes huge
economic loss and grave inconvenience. Hence, most slum redevelopment projects are being
turned down by the dwellers. After denouncing the DRP (Dharavi Redevelopment Project, a
group of experts appointed by governmeent itself, wrote an open letter to the the chief Minister
of Maharashtra.:

“The residents of Dharavi have established not just homes but thriving businesses and
livelihoods. The residents of Dharavi are being offered free construction and legalizing of their
status, but this is in exchange for (a) shifting into less than half (47%) of their own land areaa
and (b) the destruction of their livelihood. The land thus released from occupation will be
commercially exploited and significant profits are expected to accur to both the government and
the developers entrusted with the project. The project is being driven by personal greed rather
than the welfare of residents of Dharavi.” – Open letter of the committeee of Expert to Hon. Shri
Ashok Chavan, Chief Minister of Maharashtra cencerning the Dharavi Redevopment Project,
July 7, 2009.

The slum redevelopment plans that are coming up now – both in situ and ex situ – focus on the
legal ownership of the spaces and on managing space better. They focus only on reducing the
ground cover and on maximum optimization of space. This is generally done because the land is
owned either by the government or by private enterprises who have development plans of their
own. The land in the end, when not vacated by the dwellers, end up getting stuck in legal
lawsuits and cases of ownership which takes years to clear up. Apart from that, moving such a
vast number of population without consent is not possible.

But a different and indirect approach at development can do a lot to the state. Change in their
surroundings can only be successfully brought in through a study of their specific social,
economic and emotional behaviour. A more communicative development strategy that reduces

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the dwellings ground cover, which brings in revenue, which eradicates “slums” and which in turn
increases the price of the land can work wonders for the land owners. This kind of development
doesn’t just have to be in-situ but can be ex-situ as well on lands that have less value.

Hence we conclude that, DEGENERALIZING SLUMS AND WORKING ON THEIR

DEVELOPMENT INDIVIDUALLY PROVIDES FOR A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE
FOR THE DWELLERS. Vertical development and rehabilitation is not suited for numerous
slum settlements that are now generalized into one single category of slums. Providing a good
quality of calls for inhabitantsof slums calls for a detailed understanding and empathy for their
already existing lifestyle and not just space saving/ increasing methods. That is how truly, any
state will ever be able to call itself “slum-free”

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4. Risbud, N. (2003). The case of Mumbai, India. (D. School of Architecture and Planning, Ed.)
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