In The Mumbai Metropolitan Region and Palava City: A Brief Account and Evaluation, Peter Rowe recommends the adoption of a technical university and industry incubators as possible economic drivers for Palava City’s second phase of development. The research presented here addresses the urban design and architectural challenges, considerations, and propositions that correspond to Rowe’s suggestions. The six design proposals, developed over 10 weeks, began by investigating the shortcomings of the existing Phase II master plan of Palava City. This was followed by an examination of urban design strategies that respond to the site’s hydrological features, including water scarcity and regional flooding.
The report is based on the option studio Type, City, Ecology: Hydro-types and Knowledge Environments for a New Township in India held at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design in the fall of 2017. The first of a two-part exploration of India, the studio was sponsored by the LODHA Fund for India Studios.
