India, July 19 -- It's been less than 24 hours since VB Gandhi Marg in Kala Ghoda, where architect-urbanist-educator Rahul Mehrotra's studio is located, was cordoned off. Just the previous day, the street and the connecting by-lanes had been emptied out and vehicles barred from entry. A stretch along the road was converted into a cozy alfresco dining space with shade sails to complete the look, and somewhere else, a pottery-maker had set up a stall on the ground. It was an important moment for the city-CM Devendra Fadnavis was inaugurating Mumbai's first pedestrian district.

But a day later, an hour before noon, it is business as usual. The street is peopled again with lawyers, visitors, brunch-goers, and the odd digital creator and thei...