Encounters with the City: Transit Beyond Efficiency

This thesis, Transit Beyond Efficiency: Encounters with the City, investigates the complexities of transit in Mumbai through the lens of scale, movement, and lived experience, focusing on the relationships between transit hubs and commercial districts. The research stems from the need to question efficiency-driven urban planning that privileges vehicles and large-scale infrastructure over pedestrian inclusivity and commuter experience. Using a mixed methodology of mapping studies, commuter surveys, personal observations, and case studies of Churchgate, Lower Parel, and Bandra, the thesis reveals stark contrasts in how different transit hubs have evolved and how these differences shape the daily lives of commuters. The findings highlight that while Churchgate and Lower Parel benefit from organically developed systems, Bandra and BKC expose a mismatch between imagined urban visions and lived realities, resulting in disconnection, alienation, and infrastructural inadequacy. The outcome underscores the importance of rethinking transit infrastructure and allied systems through human scale and inclusivity, setting the stage for interventions that reframe BKC as an accessible and empathetic business district rather than a detached corporate enclave.