As many as 102 leading architects, planners and designers under the banner of the Mumbai Architects Collective have written to the municipal commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) and the Maharashtra chief minister (CM), urging them to halt any underground construction beneath the Mahalaxmi Racecourse and to preserve it as a fully open, permeable public ground.
It says, "Central Park in New York and Hyde Park in London are not built over or built under. They remain open, permeable, and natural — not because no one thought to develop them, but because those cities chose otherwise. Open space is not a residual. It is foundational infrastructure. Studies consistently show that proximity to parks improves physical and mental health, reduces healthcare costs, and increases surrounding property values — making cities more liveable and more economically productive."
"The Mahalaxmi Racecourse, together with the newly reclaimed lands along the Coastal Road, presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity: a continuous, connected, flood-resilient network of public open space at the heart of the city. Open space is not a luxury. It is essential urban infrastructure. This is the vision we urge you to adopt," it added.
In a detailed letter, the collective described the proposed redevelopment of the Racecourse as far more than a park upgrade, warning that underground parking structures, tunnels and built facilities would permanently alter one of Mumbai’s largest contiguous open grounds and compromise its ecological function.
The signatories, including prominent architects and urbanists such as Abraham John, PK Das, Brinda Somaya, Rahul Kadri, Neera Adarkar, Nondita Correa Mehrotra, Rohan Shivkumar and Hussain Indorewala, among others, say the Racecourse is already public land and that improving access does not require excavation or construction beneath it.
They stated that citizens have long used the ground for walking, exercise and recreation, and that opening the gates to broader public use does not justify basements, underground complexes or parking structures below the surface.
The collective presented its objections within the broader context of what it called Mumbai’s severe open-space deficit. Citing the World Health Organisation’s (WHO's) recommended minimum of 9sqmtr (square metres) of open space per person, it says Mumbai’s accepted average is around 1.2sqm per person, already a fraction of what is required for a liveable city.
It further referred to primary field surveys conducted in H/W Ward covering Bandra, Khar and Santacruz West, which found only 0.87sqm of public open space per person, with active play space as low as 0.15sqm per person. Around 30% of open space in that ward is found to be restricted or private, while nearly half of nominally public spaces were locked during typical daytime hours.
The letter warned that this figure is likely to halve further under liberal floor space index (FSI) policies tied to redevelopment, as permeable open land within housing societies is replaced with built footprint. "Our assessment is that this figure will halve further under the current liberal FSI policy being extended to redevelopment, as permeable open land within housing societies is replaced with built footprint. In this context, the loss or degradation of any large public ground is not a minor matter. It is irreversible."
In this context, the architects argued that any loss or degradation of a large public ground like the Racecourse would be irreversible.
They described the Racecourse as an environmental asset in a low-lying coastal city prone to flooding, stressing that natural ground absorbs rainwater, enables groundwater recharge and reduces flood risk in surrounding neighbourhoods. These hydrological functions, they say, are critical urban infrastructure services, not incidental benefits.
Referring to recent judicial observations valuing ecosystem services of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park at over ₹15 lakh crore, the collective says the same principle applies to every natural surface in the city. Excavating beneath the Racecourse for basements or parking would permanently compromise its drainage capacity for infrastructure that is neither necessary nor environmentally prudent, the letter stated.
The proposal, they argued, is being framed as a garden or park upgrade, but is in fact a major infrastructure project involving capital-intensive underground construction that would require long-term expenditure on ventilation, lighting, security and maintenance. Such facilities, they cautioned, tend to introduce access controls and change the democratic character of public grounds.
The architects also flagged what they termed a financial inconsistency. They pointed out that the civic body had previously stated it lacked around ₹400 crore to develop and maintain open spaces along the Coastal Road, and had therefore handed over responsibility to a private corporation. In that context, they questioned how substantial funds are now available for underground construction at the Racecourse and called for a transparent reconciliation of these positions.
If funds are, indeed, available for open space development, they argued, priority should be given to improving and maintaining the existing network of public gardens and parks across the city, many of which remain neglected or inaccessible for large parts of the day.
On the issue of parking, the collective says that if additional capacity is required in the area, underground parking should be constructed beneath roads and carriageways, which are already impermeable surfaces, rather than beneath public parks. They cited earlier public campaigns that prevented the conversion of Patwardhan Park in Bandra and Pushpa Narsee Park in Juhu into parking lots, urging that the principle established in those cases be adopted as a formal city-wide policy: no underground parking beneath public open grounds.
The letter also drew attention to proposed underground pedestrian corridors linked to transit-oriented development provisions under Development Control and Promotion Regulation (DCPR) 33(23). It noted that properties within 500 metres of Metro stations can avail additional FSI if they provide direct access to such corridors.
"The tunnels are not, therefore, simply pedestrian conveniences. They unlock development potential for surrounding real estate. This is a material fact, and it reframes the entire proposal: this is not only a park project, but part of a larger urban infrastructure and FSI framework with significant commercial implications," the letter says.
This connection, it says, reframes the Racecourse proposal as part of a broader FSI and development framework.
Particular emphasis was placed on the approximately 93 acres of land within the Racecourse under the control of the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC). The collective called for full public disclosure of existing lease terms, duration, development rights proposed or granted, financial arrangements between the club and public bodies, and measurable public benefit independently assessed.
In a city where public open space in surveyed wards has been measured at under 1sqm per person, any increase in built-up area on public land must be rigorously justified in the public domain, the letter says.
The architects proposed that the Racecourse and newly reclaimed lands along the Coastal Road be planned together as a continuous, connected, flood-resilient network of publicly accessible open space at the heart of Mumbai.
They urged that no underground parking or built infrastructure be constructed beneath the Racecourse or any other public open ground; that the principle protecting parks from conversion to parking be adopted as formal policy; that all development rights, FSI grants and financial arrangements relating to the Racecourse, including the RWITC parcel, be fully disclosed; that available funds be prioritised for maintenance and accessibility of existing parks; and that the Racecourse and Coastal Road lands be integrated into a single, permeable open landscape vision.
The letter concluded by stating that open space is essential urban infrastructure and expressing hope for a considered response from the state and civic authorities.
You may also want to read…
Allow the RAIN WATER to percolate down in soil & belly of COASTAL city like MMR or else SALTY water will ingress & damage our city for generations to come