Pankaj Kapoor — MD of Liases Foras, a property research firm — said that cities like Singapore, Dubai and Hong Kong have grown vertically.
To meet the growing demand of housing in the island city, urban planners and housing experts on Friday demanded for a floor space index (FSI) of 4 against the 2 FSI proposed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
Pankaj Kapoor — MD of Liases Foras, a property research firm — said that cities like Singapore, Dubai and Hong Kong have grown vertically. "Higher FSI is the only solution for city's housing issue. In most of the international cities, the local authority can use up to 10 FSI. Government has to build the infrastructure to support the increasing population. Otherwise, slums will be on the rise," he said.
Kapoor explained that the total area of Mumbai is 460sqkm where 150sqkm is urbanised. "In 150sqkm, 50% is occupied by slums. Now, we have to accommodate the 1.2 crore population in the given space. It will happen only by increasing the FSI. Mumbai is an island where there is no scope to expand horizontally. Vertical is the only way forward," he said.
He added: "The government should make a master plan and that plan needs to be executed in a particular time frame. If any one fails to utilise the increased FSI in the given period, the owner and promoters of the plot or buildings should be penalised. Otherwise, the government and land owners will only exploit the benefit of this decision," explained Kapoor.
He further said the rise in FSI will help in redistribution of the density. "The higher FSI should not be allowed at narrow lanes that will further choke the area. Once it happens, the housing prices in the city will also stabilise," Kapoor added.
Milind Samel, a senior architect, said that the higher FSI makes the project proposal feasible for the developers. "In South Mumbai, most of the redevelopment projects have been stuck only because developers are waiting for higher FSI. The Mumbai skyline has to be changed. The city should evolve after every 10-20 years so that it can accommodate the changes and growing population. Otherwise, most of the population will be thrown out of the city," he said.
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