WELCOME
62nd Town and Country Planners’ Congress
Plenary Session
Urban Renewal Redevelopment and Regeneration:
Challenges and Options
Key Speaker
M.D. Lele
Chief Planner
CIDCO
URBAN RENEWAL – definition
Urban
renewal
is
land redevelopment .
a
program
of
Urban renewal involves the relocation of
businesses, the demolition of structures, the
relocation of people, and the use of eminent
domain (government purchase of property for
public purpose) as a legal instrument to take
private
property
for
city-initiated
development projects.
Over time, it has evolved into a policy based
less on destruction and more on renovation
and investment
UNDERSTANDING URBAN RENEWAL
The term Urban renewal means rebirth or
regeneration of a city or a part of it which has
been plagued by the ills of urbanization
•
The planning concept originated in England and
America.
•
Decayed parts of the city were demolished and
rebuilt.
• These programs were thrust upon the city and its
people and were criticized and halted on opposition by
organized community movements.
• The urban renewal programs taken up later, involved
greater participation of the communities
• Key aspects -sustainability and inclusiveness
INDIAN CONTEXT
• Indian cities have a history that dates back to centuries
• In the last century cities faced a major unprecedented
force of urbanization which ripped them
• They have grown exponentially
• Their administration has not been able cope up with
rapid urbanization
• The age old infrastructure is weakened and decayed
leading to degeneration of the core areas in the city.
• Cities which have survived centuries are now at critical
stage.
• Concept of Urban Renewal – To provide life to the dying
city.
WHY URBAN RENEWAL?
The triggers:
Effective functioning of Administrative towns
( state HQ, District HQ)

To accommodate an event of magnitude.
(Asian games, Common Wealth Games in Delhi, Tri Centenary
Celebrations of consecration of the Guru Granth Sahib at Nanded)

Necessity due to natural /man-made calamity
(Earthquake in Bhuj, Plague in Surat)

Obsolescence of land uses
(Shifting of manufacturing industries )

Market driven change of land use
(Commercialization of Girgaum,Parel areas of Mumbai)

To conserve historic monuments/ environment.
( Areas around theTaj mahal precinct )
WHERE URBAN RENEWAL IS REQUIRED?
Urban renewal is required for
• Dilapidating, ageing parts of the city, not
providing the city its full potential and
becoming a health hazard
• In built form it consists of old area of the city,
congested area around transit points, illegal
settlements needing redevelopment
• In terms of infrastructure - measures for
efficient and smooth movement of traffic,
improvement of transportation network,
provision /improvement of utilities.
JNNURM
•
In India the need to infuse vibrancy and rejuvenate
cites was recognized in 2005 and the Central
Government launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National
Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM)
•
Launched to encourage cities to initiate steps for
bringing phased improvements in their civic service
levels
•
Initiative to redevelop towns and cities by developing
infrastructure, carrying out municipal reforms and
providing aid to the state governments and the urban
local bodies (ULBs)
EXISTING PROVISIONS AIMED AT URBAN RENEWAL
The Maharashtra Regional & Town Planning (M.R.&.T.P.)
Act, 1966 has provisions to take up urban renewal /
redevelopment in an area of the city under the
 Comprehensive Area Development Scheme

Town Planning Schemes
Other area specific tools
Slum Redevelopment & Rehabilitation (SRA) Act,
Special provisions for cluster development.
SCENARIO IN MUMBAI
 REDEVELOPMENT ON FREE HOLD LAND IN
MUMBAI
 REDEVELOPMENT OF MHADA’s HOUSING
SCHEMES
 CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT

BULK LANDS
 TOD – TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT
DENSIFICATION VERSUS DECONGESTION
DENSIFICATION
Optimize high value land redevelopment, promote higher
FSI and hence densification
DECONGESTION
A diametrically opposite view - decongesting the area.
•shifting the residents to other locations and re-designating
land
• A change in use /zone will make this location most prime,
resulting in land use transformation
•Gentrification is part of natural process of city development
•A forced relocation is one alternative. In small parts and
scale the same is achieved through SRA
EFFECT OF CHANGE OF LAND USE
Thane experience
The city had an economic base in the industrial estate
and industries along its periphery. However with passing
years there is a decline in the manufacturing sector and
shift towards service sector. Thus of industrial land was
converted to residential
Mulund experience
A change of land use was witnessed in 90s along LBS
Road in the area between Mulund and Thane. Most of
these industries shifted out and land was converted to
residential. The new development consists of shopping
malls and high end residential apartments. T.Nagar,
Chennai experience
The redevelopment project of the Tyagraj Nagar
area covering 6.86 sq.km. was conceived by the Chennai
Corporation for development area into a world class
shopping destination
Stakeholders questioned the same
CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT IN
– A RAY OF HOPE
The Bhendi Bazar cluster redevelopment
project is arguably one of the most ambitious
urban renewal schemes Mumbai has seen.
It aims to turn one of the city's most
congested and ramshackle neighbourhoods,
into a swank, new green precinct.
The proposal was to work with 3,200 homes
and 1,200 shops located in 250 buildings and
convert these into eight clusters of 40-storey
buildings, all of them green.
THE WAY FORWARD
The recipe for success 
Formulation of aims and objectives for the entire city

Identification of areas/ sectors requiring attention

Strategizing to implement the objectives

Having action plans and tasks well defined for the focus
areas/ sectors
Thus a holistic approach would go a long way in fulfilling the
objective of urban renewal