India, Feb. 21 -- The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC's) plan to construct a large underground sports complex and parking facility beneath the Mahalaxmi Racecourse-which HT first reported in August 2025-has drawn sharp criticism from members of the Mumbai Architects Collective, who describe the 500-acre expanse not as a mere amenity but a critical environmental asset for the city.

The Collective, comprising over 100 prominent architects, urban designers and planners, has written to the BMC arguing that the Racecourse performs an indispensable hydrological function in a low-lying coastal metropolis chronically vulnerable to flooding.

The grounds, they said, act as a natural holding pond during heavy rainfall and high tide, allo...