Mumbai Coastal Forest: A Place to Pause In a City That Doesn’t Sleep
- Aarushi Shah
- Aug 5
- 8 min read
Mumbai lives in a state of relentless motion. The city never slows down. Even as it floods, overheats, and gasps for air, it never stops. In winter, sanitation workers, construction laborers, delivery workers, traffic police, wastepickers, and street vendors spend long hours outdoors, breathing polluted air—the kind that clings to the lungs and settles deep in the body. In summer, in low-income neighborhoods where homes are packed shoulder to shoulder, heat collects under tarpaulin and tin sheets, turning shelter into a place of unrelenting discomfort by midday. And during monsoon, already arduous and crowded commutes grow even longer, as flooded roads and tracks make daily travel more punishing. Mumbai lives under the weight of it all. There is no name for this exhaustion, often passed off as just another day in aamchi Mumbai.I
But Mumbai’s environmental pressures are emotional burdens too: absorbed daily, quietly, and unevenly across the city. In a city defined by momentum, what does it mean to create room for pause? The Mumbai Coastal Forest offers a rare opportunity to design a space that responds not only to ecological imperatives, but also to the city’s deeper need for mental reprieve.
The Mumbai Coastal Forest: A Place to Pause
A citizen-led movement of climate experts, architects, permaculturists, civic leaders, and concerned residents has come together with a proposal to transform 100 acres of newly reclaimed land along Mumbai’s western coastline into a thriving, biodiverse native forest. The Mumbai Coastal Forest is envisioned as a living buffer for a city under strain, the forest would cool surface and ambient temperatures in its vicinity, offering moments of relief from the city’s unforgiving heat. Native trees and layered vegetation would filter pollutants from the air, offering cleaner, more breathable air for all who pass through: visitors, birds, pollinators, and other urban wildlife. When the annual downpours that so often bring Mumbai to a standstill arrive, the forest’s absorbent landscape would help manage stormwater and reduce the risk of flooding in adjacent areas.
This newly reclaimed land along Mumbai’s Western coastline is publicly owned and a Supreme Court judgement from 2022 disallows residential or commercial construction on this land. It is part of the massive reclamation undertaken for the Mumbai Coastal Road project, making it one of the largest spaces for public use in Mumbai’s history. While the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) holds jurisdiction, media reports suggest that corporate sponsors have bid to develop parts of the land. Currently, no detailed decisions or designs have been publicly released for the space. That’s why citizens have come together to collectively imagine an ecological and people-friendly vision for this land—one that is closely aligned with the BMC’s Mumbai Climate Action Plan and Urban Greening Handbook. At the heart of this movement is a hope that Mumbaikars have a voice in decisions about one of the city’s most valuable public spaces through transparent citizen consultation, and clear, policy-aligned design guidelines issued by the BMC to sponsors responsible for developing and maintaining the site.
Nature as Emotional Infrastructure
In Mumbai, mental distress is not an anomaly: it is routine, cumulative, and unequally distributed. A 2017 study found that over half of urban slum residents in the city showed symptoms of depression, revealing a quiet crisis hiding in plain sight. Daily exposure to searing heat, toxic air, noise, and crushing density does more than wear down the body; it exacts a profound psychological toll. It fuels chronic stress, heightens anxiety, and leaves little room for emotional recovery—creating a baseline of tension that many carry without even realizing it. Yet, for many, especially in low-income neighborhoods, mental healthcare is out of reach. It is obstructed by stigma, poverty, and systemic neglect. In this landscape, public space is not just a luxury. It is a source of emotional relief. For most Mumbaikars, it is the only form of emotional relief they can access.
So, how can an urban forest help? The health of our environment is inseparable from the health of our minds. Studies link rising temperatures and greater climate volatility to increased rates of suicide, hospitalizations for mental illness, and a decline in overall community well-being. By lowering ambient temperatures, urban forests can ease this mental strain, offering psychological relief alongside physical comfort. Similarly, high levels of air pollution have been associated with anxiety, depression, and cognitive fog. Research also shows that long-term exposure to ambient air pollution, especially fine and ultrafine particles, was associated with increased risks of schizophrenia spectrum disorder, depression, and anxiety disorders. Native trees, acting as natural filters, can help clear the air, and with it, bring mental clarity.
But the benefits of an urban forest go beyond easing environmental stressors; it also directly enhances mental and physical well-being. A growing body of research shows that spending time in biodiverse natural spaces can reduce cortisol—the hormone our bodies release in response to stress—while also lifting mood, improving focus, and reducing the risk of anxiety and depression. A 2024 study led by researchers at King’s College London found that the risk of developing these two most prevalent mental disorders in the world is 71% lower in urban dwellers who live near green spaces. Another 2020 study showed that a higher density of trees surrounding one’s home is associated with a lower likelihood of antidepressant prescription, particularly among individuals from socio-economically disadvantaged groups.
Green space also supports better sleep, emotional regulation, and deeper social connectedness. People living in or near a natural space tend to spend more time exercising or socializing outdoors, both of which promote the release of endorphins and other mood-boosting hormones. In this way, nature is not just infrastructure for climate resilience, but also for emotional well-being.
Not Just Any Green
But not all green is equal. Studies show that the more textured, diverse, and immersive the environment, the stronger the mental health benefits. The coastal forest is designed as a multi-layered, richly varied ecosystem—each zone playing a distinct role in shaping both ecological resilience and human experience. Along the seaward edge, salt- and wind-tolerant species like pandanus, sultan champa, Indian tulip tree, and barringtonia form the first line of defense, shielding the forest from strong coastal winds. Moving inward, the central zone comes alive with flowering shrubs that attract butterflies and bees, courtyard shade trees that offer respite from the sun, and keystone species that anchor ecological regeneration. This lush central zone is threaded with walking and biking trails, shaded seating, and spaces designed for year-round use.
On the residential edge, evergreen and deciduous trees such as jamun, bakul, and amaltas provide habitat for birds, soften the view of surrounding buildings, and create a gentle green buffer between the forest and the city. Together, these layers create not just a forest but an experience, where ecological complexity and emotional restoration go hand in hand.
Rooting the Next Generation
Children in Mumbai are growing up increasingly disconnected from the natural world. Many have never climbed a tree, followed an insect, or felt cool soil beneath their feet. This absence is more than a loss of play—it’s a loss of wonder, calm, and connection. Studies show that early, repeated exposure to biodiverse, textured environments fosters emotional resilience and curiosity, while also lowering anxiety, improving focus, and supporting emotional regulation. But nature does more than restore—it teaches. It nurtures environmental empathy, strengthens ethical reasoning, and fosters a quiet compassion for other forms of life. Over time, repeated contact with nature gives rise to a sense of rootedness and belonging, shaping how children understand, relate to, and care for the living world around them.
Global Ideas to Local Transformation
Around the world, cities are beginning to treat nature as essential infrastructure for mental health. In Singapore, a network of Therapeutic Gardens have been designed with input from neuroscientists, psychologists, and the neurodiverse community. It offers immersive, sensory-rich environments that support emotional regulation, memory, and mood. From ultraviolet-lit mazes for children with autism to edible gardens and memory-triggering installations for visitors with dementia, these spaces are carefully engineered to elicit awe, soothe the nervous system, and restore cognitive function. By 2030, Singapore plans to open 30 of these gardens across the city, as part of a broader national vision to become a global leader in urban wellness.
The Mumbai Coastal Forest carries this same promise—grounded in the principle of designing with, not for, communities, and shaped through open, participatory planning with the people who will walk its paths, seek shade under its trees, and find belonging in its quiet spaces.
Mumbai already offers signs of what’s possible. The 3.5-acre Marol urban forest along the Mithi River, home to around 10,000 trees across 100 species, has led to a local temperature drop of 2 to 4 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, Sanjay Gandhi National Park, a protected forest in the heart of the city, shelters over 1,300 plant species and more than 500 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and butterflies. It plays a vital role in recharging groundwater, regulating the local climate, and providing a rare psychological refuge for nearly two million visitors each year. The Mumbai Coastal Forest would contribute to this growing ecological network across the city. In a fragmented urban landscape, such spaces can act as critical nodes, supporting mobile species and helping biodiversity persist across disconnected patches.
Mumbai stands at a pivotal moment in its urban history. The Mumbai Coastal Forest offers a chance to reimagine how we live with nature in one of the world’s most unrelenting cities. It’s not just an investment in the city’s ecological, mental, and physical well-being; it is a chance to set a powerful precedent for future green infrastructure across the country. Not as ornamentation, but as essential public space for emotional resilience, mental clarity, and everyday dignity. In a place where urgency never lets up, this forest could become a space that invites stillness, wonder, and relief. A place where children can feel awe, not pressure; where elders can find shade, not isolation; and where the city itself can finally exhale.
If the vision resonates with you, consider signing the petition to help bring it to life.
Aarushi Shah is one of many volunteers helping the Mumbai Coastal Forest movement. With a background in climate technology research and policy, she now works in climate philanthropy.
References
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