A new open access article in Geoforum explores the contrasts between how coastal spaces in Mumbai are ‘framed’ and viewed by different groups. For Koli people, Mumbai’s coastal commons are places that are intimately tied up with their identity. This view contrasts starkly with city planners’ view of coasts as mere ‘conduits’.
The recent Coastal Road project, which threatens major disruption to livelihoods and ecologies on the Mumbai coast, has met with resistance from Kolis and their allies. Coasts can be considered to be a commons, but are often under state authority and pressure from privatisation. The article highlights ideas about spaces and places, in the context of an ongoing fight for rights and access, drawing on TAPESTRY research in the area.
TAPESTRY 