Rapid Development: "Bombay City"

Mumbai Skyline

Beginning as a colonial port city on the west side of India, Mumbai has gradually integrated itself into the global economy through advancing its manufacturing and industrial capabilities. Mumbai emerged from “being a peripheral city within a global-colonial system in the early twentieth century to take the lead from the forties onward as a city promoting national markets” (1). Patel argues in The Making of Global City Regions that Mumbai has currently taken on the role of a global city, a city that embodies India’s technological, economic, and social growth.

Map of Analysis

"Bombay City"

Published in 1958, nearly eleven years after the country’s independence from Great Britain, the map titled “Bombay City” seeks to capture the city’s remarkable economic and social development through visual representation. Originally published as a tourist map for foreigners visiting Mumbai, this colorful, hand-drawn map denotes popular tourist attractions on the borders of the map. The map itself also includes the locations of several tram stations, bus routes, and roadways within downtown Mumbai. This essay will analyze the transportation systems, “gymkhanas,” and hotels depicted in the map to collectively explore Mumbai’s growth and ascension as a global city.