Mumbai

Brief information

Mumbai did not grow as a city on an empty plain, but as a joined archipelago. Its foundation is the island of Bombay and the southern part of Salsette, connected by bridges and causeways; there used to be seven islands here, and this inconvenient position created marshy areas. When, in the 19th century, the islands began to be united into a single settlement, it was not only the map that changed: the city gained space for roads, districts, and a port.

The deep natural harbor explains why Bombay became a stronghold of English trade and then one of the largest ports on the Arabian Sea. Mumbai is therefore best read not only as a metropolis with contrasts of wealth and poverty, but as a city where the shore, docks, railways, and business center grew out of a single port logic.

What to notice right away

It makes sense to compare three parts of the city, because they reveal its old social and port structure. In the southeastern part of Bombay Island stood the English fort; around it a center took shape with a regular layout, wide streets, greenery, government institutions, banks, shops, a university, and company offices. This orderliness shows where the city was governed and where it traded.

North of the fort are described the residential quarters of the former “Black Town”: they are built up irregularly, and the lower floors of the houses are occupied by small shops and workshops. Along the eastern shore stretch warehouses, docks, and piers, with railway branches running up to them; this is already the working side of the harbor. The western coast is presented differently: wealthy districts, villas, the governor’s residence, and Marine Drive, curving around Back Bay. A single island shows governance, the labor of the port, and prestigious housing all at once.