In the mid-1990s, the state government of Maharashtra introduced an innovative strategy of slum redevelopment in its capital city, Mumbai (Bombay). Based on demolishing existing slums and rebuilding on the same sites at a higher density, it is very distinct from the two prevalent conventional strategies with respect to slums in developing countries - slum clearance and slum upgrading. So why did the slum redevelopment strategy originate in Mumbai, and how did it do so ? What were the key issues in the implementation of such a project ?

This critical volume responds to these questions by closely examining one particular redevelopment project over a period of twelve years : the Markandeya Cooperative Housing Society (MCHS). It analyzes the problems faced and the solutions innovated ; identifies non-traditional issues often overlooked in housing improvement strategies ; reveals the complexities involved in housing production for low-income groups ; and combines in-depth empirical research with historical, institutional, spatial and financial perspectives to improve our understanding of complex urban development processes.

Contents
Introduction - A New Strategy in Mumbai : The puzzles of slum redevelopment ; Placing the research in the context of the literature ; A preview of the arguments ; Study methodology ; The structure of the book. The Evolution of the Slum Redevelopment Strategy : Introduction ; The Mumbai context ; The evolution of Mumbai’s redevelopment strategy ; Regulating the development potential of land. Decentralized Conflict : Introduction ; Literature review ; Dharavi redevelopment plan : contested intentions ; PMGP and SPARC : the battle over Markandeya ; Conflicts between SPARC and the private contractor ; Uncivil society : distrust between SPARC and the community ; SPARC’s new role as a developer ; Reexamining NGOs in housing delivery ; Decentralization and centralization in housing delivery. Demolition and Redevelopment : Introduction ; Literature review : tenure legalization ; The physical structure of properties in Dharavi ; Slum upgrading and slum redevelopment ; Change in property rights and property attributes ; High land values and medium-rise living ; Slum redevelopment and tenure legalization ; Demand-driven or supply-driven development. Financing Slum Redevelopment : Introduction ; Literature review : markets and partnerships ; State finance for redevelopment ; Private capital from the non-profit and the for-profit sectors ; Institutional responses to the scarcity of finance ; Private and public roles. Enabling Slum Redevelopment in Mumbai : The Mumbai experience ; An analytical framework for upgrading ; The paradox of enabling ; Future research ; Squatters as developers ; Appendices : Appendix 1 - list of interviewees ; Appendix 2 - property values in Mumbai ; Appendix 3 - Scion Shivaji Nagar CHS ; Appendix 4 - Markandeya CHS : annexure II, SRD application ; Appendix 5 - Cost estimate of the Rajiv Indira CHS ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index