Lotus Colony

The most visible example of community-led in-situ improvement and upgrading in Mumbai can be credited to Mumbai Environmental Social Network (MESN) - a local not-for-profit organisation invested in addressing the living conditions of the urban poor in the city through the creation of public spaces. In Lotus Colony Garden, a 1300 square-meter plot sandwiched between the Shivaji Nagar and Natvar Parekh Compound in Mumber's M-East Ward, we find MEN's first venture into upgrading public infrastructure for the roughly 200,000 residents of Lotus Colony. Under the leadership of Trupti Amritwar Vaitla, an Architect and CEO of the MESN, the participatory design process at Lotus Colony resulted in a public garden in the middle of a dense settlement that provided much-needed open space in the dense settlement. Over the years since its completion in 2014, the garden has become a focal point for the residents of Lotus Colony and the larger Shivaji Nagar area, providing a space for rest and recreation in an otherwise dense locality.