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Centre for Liveable Cities Knowledge Hub
Articles

The Future of Downtowns and Heritage Cities: CLC in Mumbai and Ahmedabad

30 March 2026

CLC participated in the Urban Land Institute (ULI) India Annual Conference 2026 in Mumbai from 25-26 February, joining ULI’s global leadership and network from the urban planning, real estate and investment ecosystem, to explore “Big Ideas Shaping Indian Cities”. This was followed by a work trip to Ahmedabad on to meet with the city’s municipal corporation leadership and exchange ideas on waterfront rejuvenation and urban regeneration of heritage areas.

Group photo consisting Executive Fellow/ CLC Michael Koh (second from left) alongside fellow panellists (from left to right) Jasmine Saluja, Tim Tompkins, Tulsi Grover and moderator Anupam Yog.

Executive Fellow/ CLC Michael Koh (second from left) alongside fellow panellists (from left to right) Jasmine Saluja, Tim Tompkins, Tulsi Grover and moderator Anupam Yog.

CLC’s Executive Fellow Michael Koh was invited to speak at the 4th edition of the Urban Land Institute India Annual Conference in Mumbai last month, on a panel titled “The Business of Lively Downtowns”. His fellow panellists included Tim Tompkins, Principal, NYU Marron Institute Fellow and former President of the Times Square Alliance; Tulsi Grover, Founder of re.vorG, and Jasmine Saluja, Co-founder of Plural.

Drawing on CLC’s research on the Future of Central Business Districts (CBDs), Michael shared that future CBDs should be connected, distinctive, integrative, vibrant, and responsive. He also cited several Singaporean case studies that showed the importance of CBDs that are pedestrian-friendly, have unique identities, offer seamless live-work-play integration and have public spaces that can be activated.

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On the sidelines of the conference, the CLC delegation also met with Metropolitan Commissioner of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) Dr. Sanjay Mukherjee and Chief Economic Advisor to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Praveensingh Pardeshi. Discussions centered around Mumbai’s infrastructure development achievements such as enhancing urban transport connectivity, sustainable mobility and sea water treatment.

Photo of CLC Executive Fellow, Michael Koh meeting with Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, Metropolitan Commissioner of MMRDA.

Meeting with Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, Metropolitan Commissioner of MMRDA.

Photo of CLC Executive Fellow, Michael Koh meeting with Praveensingh Pardeshi, Chief Economic Advisor to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra

Meeting with Praveensingh Pardeshi, Chief Economic Advisor to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra

Group Photo of CLC delegation’s meeting with Banchhanidhi Pani, Municipal Commissioner of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation

The CLC delegation’s meeting with Banchhanidhi Pani, Municipal Commissioner of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (fourth from left), Prabitha Jain, Mayor of Ahmedabad (centre), Keshav Varma, Chairman of Gujarat HLC on Urban Planning (third from right) and other senior members of the AMC and HLC.

In Ahmedabad, the UNESCO World Heritage City and the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize 2012 Special Mention City, the CLC delegation was invited to a knowledge exchange session with Dr Keshav Varma, Chairman of Gujarat’s High Level Committee (HLC) on Urban Planning, fellow experts on the HLC and senior leaders from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. Discussions focused on the Sabarmati Riverfront urban and environmental rejuvenation and the city’s interest in urban greening and improving walkability ahead of hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games. The HCL also shared more about the strategic conservation and adaptive reuse of buildings within the historic Walled City of Ahmedabad.

CLC also had the privilege of meeting with the Mayor of Ahmedabad Prabitha Jain and Municipal Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani where an invitation was extended for Ahmedabad to join the Lee Kuan World City Prize Network, having been recognised for the city’s transformation into a more liveable, sustainable city, and to attend WCS 2026.

We look forward to continuing the conversation with both Mumbai and Ahmedabad on how we can better build Cities for People at the World Cities Summit 2026.

Contributed by Stewart Tan, Deputy Director, Research

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