The Development Plan (DP) for Greater Mumbai is currently under revision. It will provide direction towards the growth and development of the city for the next 20 years, 2014 to 2034. The revised DP is adopting a city level Transit Oriented Development (TOD) strategy, as one of the main growth paradigms. A comprehensive TOD strategy includes various elements, encouraging cities to—build compact developments around stations, promote transit supportive land uses, build complete streets, build more public spaces, treat cultural landscapes sensitively, build integrated transport systems, and promote Travel Demand Management (TDM) in TOD areas (EMBARQ India 2013). Several cities across the world are introducing stringent parking management regulations (to impact TDM), with intelligent pricing models within TOD areas to arrest reliance on car use and ownership (Barter 2013). 
EMBARQ India is undertaking an independent study at the Ghatkopar Railway station area, as a pilot study to re-think existing parking norms and develop options for parking reduction within TOD areas in Mumbai. Data from Mumbai suggests that the city is extremely transit dependent, with high numbers of people who walk to work; with low numbers of car ownership and car usage, the city ironically mandates extremely high parking requirements. The study intends to use Ghatkopar station as a pilot demonstration site to inform and engage local governments, developers, and citizens in a critical dialogue around the feasibility of parking norms close to transit. The issue brief presents a set of detailed analysis, and policy recommendations that can be used to inform a broader rationalization of parking solutions at the city level to enhance the attractiveness and quality of life around station areas for commuters, residents, and business owners.
If you have any questions or comments, or would like to know more about this research, contact Lubaina Rangwala at lubaina.rangwala@wri.org.