Mumbai: A group of 102 architects, designers and planners under the banner of the Mumbai Architects Collective issued a public appeal to CM Fadnavis and BMC commissioner Bhushan Gagrani against the proposed redevelopment of Mahalaxmi Racecourse, warning that any underground construction could permanently damage one of the city’s last large public open spaces.The collective said Thursday the project, being projected as a park upgrade, is in reality a major infrastructure intervention, reports Richa Pinto.Architect Alan Abraham said, “Underground parking structures and sporting facilities are capital-intensive projects. They are expensive to build and operate — to ventilate, light, secure and maintain over decades — and inevitably introduce access controls. Once built, these structures change the fundamental character of a public ground, often permanently.”The Mumbai Architects Collective warned infrastructure intervention at the open space will have long-term environmental and urban planning consequences.On Dec 15 last, hours before the model code of conduct for the BMC elections kicked in, deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde in the presence of Gagrani and architect Hafeez Contractor had announced that plans for an almost 300-acre Central Park—integrating open spaces from the Mahalaxmi Racecourse and Coastal Road—will be fast-tracked.He said the complex will host international-level sports facilities along with traditional Indian sports, adding the plan also includes a 5,000 parking facility.“The racecourse is already public land and has long been used by citizens for walking, exercise and recreation. Improving access does not require excavation or the construction of underground parking, tunnels or built facilities,” said Abraham, adding the environmental role of the racecourse as a contiguous natural surface in a low-lying, flood-prone coastal city. The letter also states that such grounds are critical for rainwater absorption, groundwater recharge and flood mitigation and any underground construction would permanently compromise these functions for infrastructure that is neither necessary nor environmentally prudent.Architect Samir D’Monte said. “The govt’s proposal for a massive car park and extensive underground sports facilities seem to fundamentally misunderstand how underground concrete structures work—the area above will no longer be a natural park, it will be a concrete slab without trees and any kind of natural ecosystem, possibly ending up being covered with plastic grass.”The letter also raised concerns about proposed underground pedestrian tunnels, pointing that under Transit Oriented Development (TOD) regulations, such corridors can unlock additional FSI for nearby properties. This, they argued, reframes the proposal as part of a larger development and real estate framework rather than a simple park improvement.Architect Nitin Killawala said the racecourse is already a functioning and established open space. “By proposing additions such as sports complexes and parking facilities, we will only add to dust, construction activity and pollution,” he said. “The scale of public spending that we see may be enormous, and that money could instead be used far more effectively to revive and upgrade municipal gardens across the city.”
