Mumbai is on the cusp of building what may become the world’s most expensive aquarium per square foot. The proposed ₹64 crore facility at Byculla Zoo spans just 5,000 square feet and sits barely five kilometres from the century-old Taraporevala Aquarium, which itself is undergoing a ₹100 crore renovation.

At first glance, it might seem like an innocuous addition to the city’s public amenities. But the decision points to something deeper and more troubling: a city increasingly built for the gaze of others. We are witnessing a pattern where public investment leans heavily toward optics, designed to impress rather than to serve.

This trend is not new, but it is becoming harder to ignore. Urban space is being seen less as a shared........

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