Creative Cities: A Case of Mumbai

Civilisations and cities have always been a cradle for nurturing art and culture. From cave paintingsto digital art and folk tales to cinema, a varied form of arts have shaped people and civilisations andsustained creative economies.Today, however, we are moving towards an urban development which does not taken intocognizance, the significance of art and culture in its built form, leading to a growing void in thecultural understanding of the city and distancing people from the arts. Recreation and social life ismoving away from places and activities that stimulate our senses and incite our curiosity leading toan experiential starvation.A cultural study of the city of Mumbai and its evolution over the past few centuries, leads us tovarious layers at which culture exists. It also leads us to understand the lack of access to culturalspaces in Mumbai, which can lead to a mental disconnect with the history of the city and itsneighbourhoods, especially for its youth and children. Therefore, the study raises the need for animpetus on art and culture whilst drawing out development guidelines for cities. It attempts toenvision a city that uses urban design as a tool and the arts as a medium to connect people andinfluence appropriate urban transformation.