Co-principal of Abraham John Architects and co-founder of Bombay Greenway, known for his forward-thinking approach to urban development and commitment to innovative, context-driven design—Alan Abraham candidly shares his perspective on Mumbai’s Coastal Road project—proposing a people-first approach that balances heritage conservation, accessible public spaces, and sustainable infrastructure over car-centric development.
Q: What inspired your vision for the proposal to have open spaces along Mumbai’s Coastal Road?
Alan Abraham: The Coastal Road project has reclaimed 111 hectares of land, yet only around 20 hectares are needed for the road itself. This means 82% of the reclaimed land could, and still can, be transformed into vibrant public spaces for the entire city. Unfortunately, much of this land is fragmented and allocated to parking lots, depots,
and roads that primarily serve cars. Our vision stems from the need to create accessible public spaces that allow everyone to enjoy Mumbai’s stunning waterfront—not just a privileged few. We aimed for a holistic and inclusive design that enhances the quality of life in Mumbai. Open spaces along the coast offer incredible opportunities for recreation, connectivity, and interaction with nature. After all, we should celebrate Mumbai as a coastal city!
Q: Can you explain how private interests have influenced the current Coastal Road project?
Alan Abraham: Private interests have clearly shaped the Coastal Road project, heavily prioritising car users—a mere 0.3% of Mumbai’s population. The absence of tolls and the exclusion of non-motorised transport reflect a skewed focus on private vehicles over public benefit. “The design favours real estate developers by boosting property values along the road at the expense of more balanced development that serves the entire city. Instead of addressing inner-city transport needs, it encourages car ownership, leading to future infrastructure and parking issues. Building bridges like the Bandra-Worli Sea Link would have been more efficient than reclaiming land, which is likely to turn into prime real estate instead of much-needed public spaces. This project appears to prioritise private gain over public good.
Q: Considering the massive investment, do you think the Coastal Road is a sustainable long-term solution for Mumbai?
Alan Abraham: Unfortunately, no. Despite a massive `14,000 crore investment, the project serves just 0.3% of the population—private car owners. Sustainable solutions should reduce dependency on cars, not encourage it. Investing in public transport, cycling infrastructure, and walkability is far more sustainable in the long run, addressing broader mobility and environmental challenges. Moreover, the project has caused significant environmental damage—excessive reclamation and destruction of intertidal zones—without efforts to enhance the city’s resilience to coastal challenges or mitigate climate change impacts. True sustainability should address these issues, but this project fails to do so, neglecting Mumbai’s pressing concerns like public transport, open spaces, pollution, and housing. The underlying message seems to be: ‘If you want to benefit, buy a car!’ It’s a short-term fix, and in five years, we’ll face the same congestion problems, if not worse.
Q: What were the open spaces like before the Coastal Road was built, and how do you see them now?
Alan Abraham: Previously, we enjoyed unrestricted, 24-hour access to iconic seafronts like Haji Ali and Worli. These were public spaces, freely accessible to everyone. Now, much of that access has been taken away. The new promenade being built is cut off from the city by a 45-metre-wide road, requiring people to cross multiple lanes of traffic to reach the seafront. The remaining spaces are often restricted, with many open only for a few hours a day. While we’ve been promised public spaces, actual access has been severely diminished. Most open spaces are now unusable and serve merely as ‘eye-candy’ for social media and passing motorists. The potential for these areas is enormous, and as citizens, we must demand what we’ve been promised.
Q: The Coastal Road has been marketed as a way to ease traffic congestion. What’s your take on that?
Alan Abraham: That’s the official line, but it’s fundamentally flawed. The misconception that building more roads eases traffic is pervasive; in reality, more roads tend to attract more cars, resulting in the same or worse congestion in the long term. In under five years, we’ll be back to square one—traffic jams and gridlock. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. If the goal was truly to reduce traffic, there are far simpler solutions: manage traffic better within the city, improve public transport, restrict on-street parking, or invest in cycling lanes. But those solutions don’t offer the same political gains as building a shiny new road. Neither do they cost in thousands of crores!
Q: How does the Coastal Road compare to other major infrastructural projects in Mumbai?
Alan Abraham: The Coastal Road, along with projects like the Bullet Train and Metro, seems more focused on optics than on comprehensive urban planning. While these ventures attract attention and prestige, they often neglect the city’s core needs, such as public access and transport integration. The Bullet Train, a `130,000 crore project funded primarily by Japan’s JICA, appears more about image-building than necessity.
Similarly, the Mumbai Metro relies on World Bank loans due to the government’s limited resources for such large-scale initiatives. In contrast, the `14,000 crore Coastal Road is entirely funded by the BMC, toll-free—a taxpayer-funded gift to private car owners. Meanwhile, critical public projects like Dharavi’s redevelopment face delays because of cost constraints, while billions are spent on a road that won’t alleviate traffic congestion. Mumbai’s infrastructure projects are overly transport-focused and lack broader urban design considerations. The Coastal Road and Bullet Train cater to a narrow set of interests, such as private users, while mass transit options like the overhead Metro disrupt the city’s architecture and block natural light and ventilation. These roads could be better served by scalable, cost-effective bus systems.
What’s missing is a holistic vision for Mumbai’s infrastructure. Instead of pursuing flashy, high-profile projects, we should invest in comprehensive urban planning that benefits the entire city.
Q: How do you envision integrating the 6.7 km of open spaces that were promised along the Coastal Road?
Alan Abraham: The 6.7 kilometres of open spaces could have been a transformative asset for Mumbai, but currently, as planned, they are fragmented and disconnected. We’ve proposed a plan for a larger, continuous, and accessible waterfront that integrates these spaces into the city, making them available to everyone—walkers, cyclists, and families. This would enable seamless pedestrian and cycling paths stretching from one end of the city to the other, creating a liveable, walkable environment.
Unfortunately, the current design prioritises cars, complicating access with massive roads and difficult-to-access underpasses. It would have been straightforward to align the road inland or take it underground, allowing for a more generous public waterfront. Instead, pedestrians are forced to rely on potentially unsafe and sparsely spaced underpasses to access these spaces, while vehicles move freely above ground—a clear imbalance.
If we truly want to make the waterfront accessible and useful for all citizens, the focus must shift from cars to people. Non-motorised transport—walking and cycling—should be the priority. Open spaces must serve all 21 million residents, not just the 0.3% who own cars.
Q: What role do private interests play in shaping these projects?
Alan Abraham: Private interests significantly influence large-scale projects, often prioritising short-term gains over long-term public benefit. This is evident in the Coastal Road project, which heavily focuses on car infrastructure and real estate development. Ideally, collaboration between the private and public sectors should focus on public good and equity rather than purely on profit.
For example, the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse occupies public land, yet the BMC allows them to develop luxury facilities while the public receives only a small fraction of the promised land. Similarly, Adani’s involvement in the redevelopment of Dharavi highlights this issue. They were awarded the contract to develop one of the world’s most densely populated slums and received an additional 256 acres of prime saltpan land in return. It’s a sweetheart deal that benefits private developers, while the people of Dharavi—many of whom are still living in abysmal conditions—are left in limbo.
The BMC claims it lacks the funds for public housing or transport infrastructure like metros but is willing to invest billions in roads for private cars that won’t resolve the city’s traffic issues. This pattern reflects a broader trend of public land being handed over to private entities under the guise of development. The Coastal Road is just one example of how public assets are being sacrificed for private interests.
Q: How does your plan address the balance between public access, heritage conservation, and modern infrastructure?
Alan Abraham: It’s all about balance. Our plan promotes public access to open spaces while preserving the city’s heritage and culture. Take the Parsi Gate, for instance—it’s a heritage site that is lost in the current Coastal Road plan. Our proposal aims not only to preserve the Parsi Gate but also to enhance it, integrating it into a larger public space that
connects the past with the present. “While we recognise the need for modern infrastructure, it must harmonise with the city’s existing fabric. It’s not about imposing something new for its own sake; it’s about enhancing what we already have in a sustainable, inclusive manner.
Q: What’s your long-term vision for Mumbai’s infrastructure?
Alan Abraham: My long-term vision is for a city that prioritises its people, public spaces, and the environment. I envision a Mumbai where walking, cycling, and public transport are the norms—where infrastructure is designed to improve the quality of life for all residents, not just a few. It’s about sustainability, connectivity, and creating spaces that truly enhance the character of the city.
We need to rethink our approach to urban development. Currently, we’re investing billions in isolated projects like the Coastal Road, bullet train, and metro without a cohesive vision. A holistic plan is essential—one that ties these projects together, prioritises public transport, and makes the city more liveable for everyone.
Mumbai’s future hinges on developing sustainable, people-focused infrastructure. This means more public transport, more open spaces, and better integration of these areas into the urban fabric. It’s not just about building more roads or piecemeal development; it’s about creating a city that works for its people, not just its cars.
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