How Indian Cities Can Optimise Open Spaces

Open spaces are seen as the ultimate luxury across India's metro cities, especially in the financial capital Mumbai. The population density in Mumbai is considered a key reason behind this. However, this reason may be put to question. While Singapore is the third-most densely populated country in the world but open spaces form nearly 70 per cent of the land in that country. The reason is that in the residential areas of Singapore, the floor space index (FSI) ranges between 3 and 4. (FSI is the ratio between floor area and the area of the plot.) In Mumbai, FSI is 1.33 in much of the island city, and 1 in residential areas.

According to an The Economic Times report, projects with more open spaces are fetching developers a premium of 50 to 100 per cent in Delhi and Mumbai. A look at how Indian cities can optimise open spaces:

Even though a common belief is that low FSI would lead to greater open spaces, this is not true. The FSI in slums in Mumbai is often below 1. But, there are no open spaces in slums. Slums are densely populated areas without proper roads. The footpaths in slums are narrow, too. When the FSI in residential projects in Mumbai is high, it allows developers to build taller structures on a certain plot, allowing them to free up more space.

Environmental assets that provide access to open spaces are generally owned by the government and it is difficult to set a market prices for using them. For instance, the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai occupies 104 sq mt of land. As government cannot set market prices, it is difficult to know how much the land would fetch in the open market, and whether allowing a park to occupy large areas in a metropolitan area passes the cost benefit test. However, by allowing higher FSI, local authorities can allow developers to efficiently allocate open spaces. 

By charging for parking, governments and local authorities can increase the width of streets and sidewalks. This would lead to more optimal consumption of real estate in Mumbai, Delhi and other Indian cities. 

By developing primary infrastructure that extends to all parts of a city, local authorities can allow residential developments to be spread over a larger area. This would allow people to enjoy greater open spaces.