Mr. Shirish Patel was a unique personality, a divine soul, and the most humble intellectual I have ever met. He passed away recently, breathing his last in his beloved city of Mumbai. How do I express my feelings as I mourn him? I am at a loss to find the right words to express my gratitude and appreciation for a person whose creativity, enthusiasm, and love for Mumbai were unmatched.
I first met Mr. Patel twenty years ago to interview him for a Marathi Magazine. I had known him as a key member of the proposal for the twin city, Navi Mumbai in 1965, but came to know him personally while working at Mumbai Transformation Support Unit (MTSU). MTSU was a think tank for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, a first-of-its-kind setup for any city in India.
One of our earliest projects at MTSU, back in 2006, was to study and compare city areas of the crowded Null Bazar, Girgaon and the planned areas of Parsi colony at Dadar in Mumbai. A significant chunk of the work was carried out by students from the Kamala Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute. Mr. Shirish Patel was the chief mentor. The study involved detailed surveys of physical, and social aspects of these areas, identification of problems and an assessment of the situation on the ground. The study helped in suggesting a variety of frameworks, guidelines and strategies for the regeneration of these old, diverse, and complex urban areas of Mumbai.
Over the next decade, MTSU was instrumental in carrying out close to 50 studies on issues related to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region including its economy, ecology, transport, public housing, slum development, urban planning, finance, infrastructure, etc. Mr. Shirish Patel was our constant support, guide and mentor, providing a wealth of knowledge gleaned from his firsthand experiences at CIDCO, and subsequent development of Navi Mumbai.
A new government installed in Maharashtra after elections in 2014 initiated action on the redevelopment of 100-year-old BDD chawls based on a study report carried out by MTSU in 2009. MHADA was entrusted with the work. However, we found that the selected planning proposals were based on very high FSI and high tenement density, resulting in highrise buildings that infringed the rules and regulations for settlements as laid down in the National Building Code. Alarmed by this, our efforts to approach the Government failed. Instead, MTSU was closed!
My association with Mr. Patel continued as we both were extremely concerned regarding the negative impacts of MHADA’s planning proposals for BDD Chawls on the residents as well as on the city. Together, we started developing alternative planning proposals.
We visited a number of Slum Rehabilitation Projects completed in Mumbai before embarking on the search for alternatives. We interacted with residents, heard their joys and concerns of moving from slums to highrise apartments, and learned about the serious health issues faced by people who shifted to buildings in Project Affected People housing in tiny apartments with insufficient natural light and ventilation. Therefore, our proposals prioritized livable homes, public open spaces, playgrounds and a human-scale urban fabric.
Mr. Patel had a brilliant idea based on three stories of houses approached from 9-meter-wide streets on every fourth floor. which we developed and renamed as ‘Row Houses in Sky’. We organized the buildings around a cricket ground for the Worli BDD site. Despite our efforts, including presentations and scale models at BDD community meetings to explain our proposals, the allure of 500 sq. ft. free ownership houses was the only issue that swayed the BDD residents. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) we filed in 2019 was dismissed in 2022, allowing the original MHADA plans to proceed. Visiting the construction sites in January 2024, Mr. Patel and I witnessed the grim reality of what he aptly called a disaster.
Mr. Patel was unrelenting in his critique of flawed urban policies, from the Rent Control Act of 1966—which he often described as “the second-best way to destroy a city, the first being bombing”—to the MRTP Act and the Urban Land Ceiling Act of 1976 and subsequent Slum Rehabilitation programme with free houses for slum dwellers and additional FSI to builders.
His writings, such as the seminal article “Housing Policy for Mumbai” published in Economic and Political Weekly in 2005, showcased his sharp foresight to address the logjam in the Housing sector and deep love for Mumbai and its people. It was my privilege to translate it into Marathi and make it available to Marathi Mumbaikars. One of the concepts he proposed was that of a housing share. One share for each square foot of carpet area occupied by tenants of rented buildings or slums which could be exchanged for equal and free area in redeveloped buildings. They could also avail of additional areas at construction cost based on their needs and availability of funds.
His activism extended to other contentious projects, such as the proposed Peddar Road flyover. Despite being the designer of the first flyover at Kemps Corner, he opposed the project, offering multiple alternatives. Ultimately, the plan was shelved due to various objections, only to be replaced by the controversial Coastal Road project—a development that has irreversibly altered Mumbai’s western coastline.
Mr. Patel was a civil engineer with a mind of steel and a soft heart. His love for the arts, architecture, music, and films reflected a sensitivity that complemented his technical brilliance. While he once remarked that he was “not interested in beauty,” his work and vision demonstrated an intrinsic appreciation of beauty. His office walls carried rare photographs of Mumbai. It was a pleasure to visit him and his wife Rajani and enjoy their lovely home full of Books, Indian artefacts and paintings by renowned artists.
With his passing, Mumbai has lost one of its most beloved and steadfast champions. For those of us who had the honor of working with him, his legacy is a beacon of inspiration. His unwavering commitment to the city and its people will continue to guide young planners as India has to navigate the challenges of urbanization. Mr. Shirish Patel was, and always will be, an indomitable spirit of Mumbai.
