reading urbanism  

Conceived as a manuscript to catalogue writing produced about the city, MUMBAI READER aims to act as a research collective to address the lack of literature on the city’s urbanism. This gathering of various readings is an attempt to undertake the task of urban representation through a simultaneous and non-linear compilation of multiple voices from, in and about the city. Continuation of this exercise as a quasi-almanac creates a likely retrospective for Mumbai as a sketch or the probable archive.

A record of the task list, process documentation of things and acts in the production of the publication is by strategy a review of the making. A design exercise that spanned for a period of three years, documentation of the “to do list” is a summary of learnings that brought together the reader. Mumbai Urbanism, the reading of it could be stated to have been the result of six stages. Though these stages in principle have remained similar through all the editions miniature internal iterations are instrumental to the final outcome of the product. Broadly the six stages are article invites, compilation, design, content proofing, printing and finally distribution. Laying limits to the task first begins by identifying a contributor’s list. From friends of the institution to known writers, researchers, urbanists and journalists the set earmarks the broad range of desired contributors to an edition. Two popular magazines have been continually sourced for content – Economic and Political Weekly, Down to Earth. In addition to these blogs, online publications and journals. With this pool in place invites either physical or via email is dispatched. Previous editions fallouts and rejects are brought back once again into the consideration pool. Compilation tests capacities on how an issue has finally taken form. The UDRI resource centre boasts a collection of newspaper clippings. Collected daily the activity sources news on events as considered significant for ongoing research work and any references to UDRI or their associations if they are quoted. Adding to this annual collection is the commissioning of images as per select spaces and areas of interest. Datasets those could support the received articles are stacked for consideration. A section of the reader is dedicated to institutional projects, reports and work done under its various program heads. From received contributions, in the form of articles, newspaper clippings, sourced images, datasets and institutional work the compilation put together sum total of content considered for an edition in production.

Layouts or design becomes the next point of consideration in the process. The document size of 6.63inx8.26in [without bleeds] had been a derivation from the first edition of the reader and optimised by the printer. With the set dimensions in place and sorting as per budgets the length of the document at 544 pages all material gets ordered as guidelines on an earmarked structure which is drawn out from the content at hand. Cover, forewords, endnotes, contents, articles, institutional section and datasets are the entities to retain specific considerations of graphic layouts. Translation of articles is tasked additionally when Hindi and Marathi editions of the Reader are to be considered. Typesetting, proofing and then evaluation of the same bring factors that add to the process of production. Designed drafts are sent across for proofing and auditing of material compiled. These based on resources had been performed both in-house and times by freelance reviewers. Technical specifications of image files and flows for text then come under consideration during the design process. In essence, proofing of the document at large. ISBN list is consulted to pick serially a set of digits to be assigned. With that tied in print package is dispatched to the printer with the final designed dummy of the manuscript. File processing at the printers works up as the last stage of review for image resolution consistency and proofing overlooks. Two to three weeks is the time which takes to print 1000 limited edition copies of the Reader based on the printer’s workload at the moment. Post-release in a public event complimentary copies is dispatched to intuitions and contributors to the edition. Remaining are sold at cost price of printing one copy of the reader.

Though not as linear as mentioned most tasks, largely as instinct overlap until printing and release. Time span for each edition has been approximately six months. A production method as described, therefore, becomes the guidelines under which the city is read. This process is instrumental in inviting, ordering and then positioning within a set of rules on what is it means to consume information on the city and how it is to be perceived. This isn’t intentional, but an underlying act to controls production of knowledge on the city.