Mumbai 3.0: MMRDA joins hands with Korean team for smart development, modern transport
Major future projects that will be a part of Mumbai 3.0: Smart transport zones that connect public transport and housing; new townships that combine homes, shops, and offices; parks for tech and innovation; clusters for industries; affordable housing projects; areas for fintech startups; spaces for data centers and more.
Mumbai: As part of its Mumbai 3.0 plan, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is establishing stronger international connections. Earlier this year, a team from South Korea visited Mumbai to explore options to work together on smart city projects, modern public transport, and attracting global investments.
This meeting took place during the India Global Forum 2025 at the Jio World Centre. Senior leaders from both sides met to talk about working closely to help Mumbai grow in smarter, faster, and better ways for the future.
The meeting was led by Sanjay Mukherjee, who is the Metropolitan Commissioner of MMRDA. The meeting primarily focused on building better infrastructure, clean and smart transport, and city planning.
Korean experts to help plan Mumbai 3.0
The South Korean group included top experts and leaders, such as: Sang-ho Lee, Director, Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority (IFEZ), Young-sup Joo, Professor at Seoul National University and former Minister of SMEs and Startups, Byeong-il Woo, Director, KOTRA Mumbai, Jaewon Peter Chun, Chairman, World Smart Cities Forum (WSCF), James Jung-Beck Kim, Policy Advisor, IFEZ, and Grant Guk-hwan Cho, Vice Chairman, Kanavi Mobility and ex-Samsung executive.
According to MMRDA, this visit followed an earlier agreement signed at the World Economic Forum in Davos. That deal connected Mumbai with the World Smart Cities Forum (WSCF), making Mumbai part of the Global Twin Cities Platform. This platform helps cities from different parts of the world share ideas and work together on urban innovation.
Key points discussed in meeting
- Taking cue from successful cities: The group discussed how Mumbai could learn from IFEZ’s success in Incheon, South Korea. IFEZ played a big role in making Incheon a high-tech city with a $100 billion economy. Their experience could guide similar changes in Mumbai.
- Bringing in more investment: They also talked about bringing in global money for big Mumbai projects. This would be done using IFEZ’s connections and support from KOTRA, a group that helps promote Korean businesses worldwide. The investments would support new logistics hubs, smart transport zones, and innovation centers in the city.
- Using smart technology: There was interest in using smart solutions from Korea in Mumbai. This includes better ways to manage city data, using AI for city services, clean electric transport, and zones for tech startups, green housing, and fintech companies.
- Training and sharing ideas: Through the Twin Cities project, Mumbai will work closely with Korean experts. The goal is to test new ideas, train government staff, and follow the best global practices in clean, smart, and modern city planning.
Plans for future
The team also spoke about major future projects that are part of Mumbai 3.0. These include:
- Smart transport zones that connect public transport and housing
- New townships that combine homes, shops, and offices
- Parks for tech and innovation
- Clusters for industries
- Affordable housing projects
- Areas for fintech startups
- Spaces for data centers
These are all key parts of the Mumbai 3.0 roadmap and are expected to attract investment and create many opportunities.
Sanjay Mukherjee, who leads MMRDA, shared his view on the growing international partnerships. He said, "Mumbai is stepping into its next growth phase, called Mumbai 3.0. With support from global partners like IFEZ, KOTRA, and WSCF, we are gaining knowledge in smart planning, new technology, and global funding. These ties will help us create jobs, speed up development, and help Mumbai become one of the world’s leading cities.”