96% of India’s housing shortage is in the economically weaker section (56%) and low-income group (40%) categories. The Technical Group on Urban Housing Shortage, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), determined this national urban housing shortage to be 18.78 million units. In response to these findings, the Government of India as well as several state governments introduced or expanded affordable urban housing schemes. Given the context that 70% of the buildings required in India by the year 2030 are yet to be built, we have the opportunity to construct sustainable, low carbon and resilient buildings that consume less resources and work towards enhancing the health and well-being of its residents.
Aerial view of Appa Pada slum in Malad. Photo by Manoej Paateel from Shutterstock
As a Knowledge Partner to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), WRI India supported the overall design and rollout of the Global Housing Technology Challenge – India (GHTC-India)-
This program aims to build the capacity of government officials toward improving the implementation of central and state government affordable housing schemes. Through a user- and stakeholder-informed needs assessment, WRI India developed four training modules in the subjects of affordable rental housing, public-private partnerships, access to land for affordable housing, and passive design for thermal comfort. These were subsequently deployed in workshops in three states (Delhi, Surat and Raipur) and disseminated to nearly 200 officials and housing stakeholders.
WRI India’s study focused on understanding the challenges faced by urban villages in the National Capital Territory of Delhi and identified ways of improving planning and provisioning for them. Case studies and secondary literature reviews informed the process. On-ground focussed group discussions helped to crystallise the ‘Issues-Concerns and Needs’ of the community and ‘Project Prioritisation Workshops’ gauged the preferences of the communities in two urban villages - Rajokri and Ghoga. Based on this an Urban Village Development Plan Framework (UVDPF) was developed and discussed with stakeholders to support locally relevant and sustainable development.
WRI India is an empanelled ‘Anchor Institute’ to Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), to providing technical assistance, legislative review and capacity building support to cities selected under the pilot scheme for formulation of LAPs and TPSs. Cities are introduced to concepts and tools which are used to encourage brownfield redevelopment in built-up urban areas and planned urban expansion in greenfield areas on urban peripheries respectively. Of the 9 pilot cities that WRI India has been allotted by MoHUA, WRI India has commenced engagements with 3 cities – Dehradun, Aizawl and Srinagar (as on July, 2021).