Architectural guide: Mumbai

Known as ‘the city of dreams’, a place where everyone is welcome and everything is possible, Mumbai is the second most populous city in India, a curious melting pot of cultures, the arts, religious traditions, and architectural legacies, and one of the greatest nerve centres of the Indian sub-continent. This unique guide shows some of the architectural threads that have contributed to make Mumbai the cosmopolitan metropolis that it is today, including rock-cut caves (important UNESCO World Heritage sites which are considered one of the cradles of civilization), Indo-Islamic architecture, colonial heritage, hidden gems of Art Deco (including Modernist cinemas – a threatened species) and stunning contemporary architecture that is emblematic of the difficult historical period the city is going through for both economic and socio-ethical reasons. Featuring almost 150 buildings, Architectural Guide Mumbai will give the reader an understanding of how Mumbai’s present is layered with its fascinating past and of the development challenges facing the city as it strives to provide more sustainable living conditions for its inhabitants.