1 Creating a Framework to Exploring Densities in the Contemporary … 15
Taloa had 20.5 sq yard per person, Market—16 sq. yard per person, Bhooleshwar—
10.5 sq. yard per person, Mandavee—8.5 sq. yard per person, Oomerkharee—8.5
sq. yard per person, and Dhobee Tulao—8 sq. yard person (Conybeare1855, p. 20).
The 1863 census recorded the population of Bombay to be around 816,352. In
the Market, Dongri, Dhobi Talao, and Girgaum section, the census observed family
size in 2–3 storey houses to be about 3.71.to 9.42. Each house had approximately 39
to 83 people (The Gazetteer, Vol. 1, 1909, p. 164). It was this very high household
density that led to overcrowding. Along with the density and presence of open drains,
the conditions in the Native town were recognized as unclean by the British sanitary
engineers (Conybeare1855, p. 13).
As per the 1864 census, the authorities divided the city into wards. Wards B and
C that were the core of the native town and contained the bazaars had the highest
densities. It shows some sections like Market, Chukla, Dongree, and Dhobeetulao
have very high densities. Interestingly, the census documents all types of work activ-
ities that were present in the city. Most of the work present was in these dense B and
C wards.
From accounts, it is evident that informality was historically a part of Indian cities.
A lot of the urban fabric of such towns was spontaneous, and the densities associated
with these fabrics were due to people’s instinct to agglomerate. As seen through the
census, these densities helped people create networks that assured entrepreneurship
and occupation. People established these networks through religion, caste, ethnicity,
livelihood, place of migration, etc. These affinities allowed the people to agglomerate
with ease. As Pattrick Geddes noted, congestion was an issue more for the British
planners and engineers than the Indian inhabitants of historical cities (GoodFriend
1979, p. 349).
3.1.2 Growth of an Industrial City During the Colonial Rule
With the advent of the mills, there was a shift in the city’s growth. While the old city
continued to be one of the densest, the census observed some demographic changes
due to the plague that started in 1896 (Census of Bombay, Government,1901, p. 10).
The areas that started showing growth were Mahalakshmi, Byculla, Tarwadi, Parel,
Sewri, Sion, Mahim, and Varli. We can attribute this shift to Parel’s transformation
into the mill district, the heartland for industries in the city from 1881 onwards (The
Gazetteer, Vol. 1,1909, p. 201). A new pattern of density started emerging with the
housing required for industrial workers. The chawls, a building typology unique to
the city, provided early housing to the mill workers. Each room in a chawl would
measure around 12
×8
×8
witha3
long public corridor in the front. There would
have a partition in the room, and the inner portion would be for women with a sink
for cooking. These rooms would house two families with around 10 to 15 people,
excluding children, thus experiencing crowding. As per the 1901 census, industrial
workers in mills and factories formed nearly 41% of the population. People involved
in commerce or other professions were around 14%. Thus, while many workers lived
in these chawls, the mill areas of Byculla, Parel, Tarwadi, Sewri, and Warli did not