History
The growth of Mumbai city is constrained by sea at south, east and west. As a result total land area available for development of Mumbai is limited. Hence, developmental planners, in late 1960s started exploiting alternative for dispersal and control of Mumbai population. Eminent architects, Charles Coria, Shirish Patel and Pravin Mehta suggested Navi Mumbai as alternative to Mumbai.
Navi Mumbai has been developed as a planned city, a counter magnet for Mumbai. It has been developed as an independent, fully self-contained metro city. Navi Mumbai is the world's large, totally planned, well-balanced, modern city. Navi Mumbai has been planned and developed by CIDCO to meet the infrastructural needs of a modern metropolis.
City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) is a State Public Sector Undertaking registered under Companies Act in March 1970. CIDCO prepared developmental plan for Navi Mumbai covering 95 villages from Thane and Raigad district covering total area of 343.70 sq km (table below). This was approved by the Government of Maharashtra in August 1979.
Proposed Land-use Pattern in Navi Mumbai as Per CIDCO Plan
| Sr.No | Description | Area |
| 1 | Low lying area unsuitable for development | 34.20 |
| 2 | MIDC Industrial Area | 28.10 |
| 3 | Defence area at Uran | 4.56 |
| 4 | Port at Nhava Sheva | 12.00 |
| 5 | Regional Parks | 72.25 |
| 6 | Sewage Farming | 9.00 |
| 7 | Fisheries | 9.00 |
| 8 | Net Area Available for Urban Development | 174.59 |
| Total | 343.70 |
Source : Development Plan for Navi Mumbai, CIDCO
Navi Mumbai has been developed as an environment friendly, beautifully landscaped area with parks, gardens and promenades along waterfronts. Care has been taken to preserve the mountainous terrain, lakes and green spaces in Navi Mumbai, which cover nearly half of its total area.
For catering to the requirements of 29 villages in CIDCO project and 14 villages from Kalyan notified area NMMC was formed vide Government order dated December 17, 1991. NMMC came in to existence on January 1, 1992. Total area under NMMC is 162.5 sq km.
In the CIDCO area there are seven nodes viz. CBD Belapur, Vashi, Nerul, Koparkhairane, Ghansoli, Sanpada and Airoli. Except for Ghansoli node, other six nodes are fully developed and hence, all powers under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act 1966 have been transferred to NMMC.
14 villages from Kalyan notified are deleted from NMMC jurisdiction vide Government order NMC 102000/LNO 54/04/NV 28 dated June 8, 2007.