Reclaiming Public Space in Mumbai: The Bandra Waterfront Controversy and the Constitution of the Public

In Mumbai, recurrent controversies over public space seem to present anotherexample of the global relevance of the ‘end of public space’ thesis. According to thisdystopian thesis, neo-liberalism and global capital enable private developers to replace openand diverse public spaces by comfortable, safe and profitable pseudo-public consumptionspaces. Pushing out marginalized groups and political activities, this culminates in a crisis ofcommunity, solidarity and democracy. However, the Bandra Waterfront controversy suggestsanother story. Employing the Actor-Network-Theory, we show that successful reclamation ofpublic space by middle-class civil activists here directly relates to the construction of a publicincluding new forms of social discipline over marginalized groups. We conclude that publicspace always implies exclusion and control; and that the actors of exclusion vary betweenplaces. Urban studies research should move beyond general storylines, towards preciseempirical research of such local urban transformation.