Berjis Driver Aids BMC Formulate ‘Open Space’ Policies

In an effort to bridge the gap between policy making and academia, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) along with think-tank Observer Research Foundation (ORF), organised, for the first time, a competition inviting students to ideate and help frame policies to relieve our space-starved Mumbai city. Of the numerous entries addressing eclectic issues, received by Mumbai’s civic body and ORF, the entry that won highlighted ways to make open spaces accessible to all, presented by Berjis Driver, student of Lokmanya Tilak Institute of Architecture and Design Studies. Presenting a research paper titled ‘Transfer of Identity – Establishment of a Unification Model for the Open Spaces of Mumbai’, Berjis won over thirty-three entries from fifteen institutions. When speaking about his win, Berjis shared that he got this idea looking at the lack of open spaces in the city and the non-accessibility to the existing ones, and the need for legislative guidelines for this allowance. His recommendations are being favourably considered by the Development Plan Department as they work on formulating Mumbai’s final Open Spaces Policy.