As India’s cities grow quickly and its population changes, urban housing has become a major issue. More than a third of the population today lives in cities, and that number is expected to reach almost 50% by 2050. This has led to a huge increase in the need for affordable and decent housing. Both opportunities and problems come with this growth. On the one hand, cities are becoming places where businesses thrive, bringing in money and creating jobs. On the other side, the lack of housing and infrastructure in cities that can keep up with demand has led to acute shortages, soaring property prices, and the growth of slums and informal settlements. Rapid urbanization, population growth, and economic growth are all changing urban housing in India in a big way. This article looks at the most important trends that are affecting housing in cities such as the growth of affordable housing, more private sector participation, and the use of smart and eco-friendly building technology. It also talks about important problems, including not enough housing, the growth of slums, problems with regulations, and differences in access to housing based on income and social status. The report examines governmental initiatives, such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and urban planning frameworks, emphasizing the necessity for coordinated, inclusive, and sustainable strategies to address the housing needs of an expanding urban populace. The article ends with policy suggestions for fixing structural problems and making housing fairer in cities in India.

Keywords: Urbanization, affordable housing, slum development, housing policy, sustainable urban planning

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1. Okeyinka YR. Housing in third world cities and sustainable urban development. Develop Ctry Stud. 2014;4(8).
2. Sharma P. India’s uneven urban growth: A look at trends and policies. J Glob Initiat. 2018;13(1). doi: 10.32727/11.2018.229.
3. Dupont V. Un défi majeur des villes indiennes: l’accès à un logement convenable. Bull Assoc Geogr Fr. 2017;94(1). Available from: http://journals.openedition.org/bagf/294.
4. Ji S, Mokashi Punekar R. Intervening on ‘building as a product’ and ‘habitation as a service’ in contemporary urban settings for adaptive micro habitation design. In: 3rd LeNS World Distributed Conference Bengaluru: Designing Sustainability for All. 2019.
5. Narendran A, Musau F. Mass housing in Bangalore, India, that is flexible and responds to the environment. In: 30th International PLEA Conference, CEPT University, Ahmedabad. 2014.
6. Ibem EO, Aduwo BE, Ayo-Vaughan K. Evaluation of the sustainability of public housing initiatives in Ogun State, Nigeria: A post-occupancy assessment methodology. Mediterr J Soc Sci. 2015;6(4). doi: 10.5901/mjss 2015.v6n4s2p523.
7. Ahmad MO, Ahad MA, Alam A, Siddiqui F, et al. Cyber-physical systems and smart cities in India: Prospects, challenges, and concerns. 2021. Available from: https://nlm.nih.gov.
8. Ray S, Ray IA. The effects of population growth on environmental degradation: A study of India. J Econ. 2011;2(8).
9. Jabeen A, Sheng HX, Aamir M. Housing crises in Pakistan: Population growth and inadequacies in housing legislation and policies. Int J Sci Basic Appl Res. 2015;24(3).
10. Tripathi S, Kaur H. Determinants of rural to urban migration in large agglomerations in India: An empirical analysis. MPRA Paper 76484. 2017.
11. Kumar PK. An empirical study on the empowerment of weaker sections through housing schemes in Karnataka. 2019. Available from: https://www.ijsr.net/archive.
12. Samad D, Zainon N, Rahim FAM, Lou E. A new look at Malaysia’s affordable housing programs. Open House Int. 2017.
13. Obi NI, Ubani O. The changing cost of housing in Nigeria. 2014. Available from: https://core.ac.uk/.
14. Kolawole OM, Adewuyi SO, Lukman M, Adeleye GO, et al. An evaluation of housing infrastructure in public housing: Bashorun Housing Estate, Akobo, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. 2014.
15. Pal R, Aneja N, Nagpal D. The difference in housing and basic services in India. MPRA Paper 61994. 2015.
16. Palanisamy S, Ramamoorthy N. An exploratory investigation of the housing finance system in India and China. 2007. Available from: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de.
17. Bandyopadhyay S. Some important issues in Indian municipal finance. 2014.
18. Meth P, Belihu M, Buthelezi S, Masikane F. Not wholly displacement: conceptualising relocation in Ethiopia and South Africa as “disruptive re-placement.” Geogr Cities. 2022;44(2):1–26. doi: 10.1080/02723638.2022.2042067.
19. Chandram VKP. The effect of climate change on human development in India: Connections and the need for adaptation plans. Artha J Soc Sci. 2015;14(4):111. doi: 10.12724/ajss. 35.6.
20. Sethi M, Sharma R, Mohapatra S, Mittal S. Urban climate resilience: Negotiating climate science, adaptation, and multilevel governance in India. 2021. Available from: https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
21. Leal Filho W, Echevarria Icaza L, Omeche Emanche V, Quasem Al-Amin A. Impacts, strategies, and tools to mitigate urban heat islands: An evidence-based review. 2017. Available from: https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
22. Laili Yeon A, Basarudin NA, Mohamed Yusoff Z, Hilal Md Dahlan N, et al. Keeping the green environment in the smart home project: Establishing a lasting legal framework. In: E-Commerce International Conference, Malaysia. 2017.
23. Kim MJ, Cho ME, Jun HJ. Creating design solutions for smart homes using user-centred scenarios. 2020. Available from: https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
24. Singh A, Mathema S, Mawilmada N. Decentraation and housing delivery: Insights from San Fernando, La Union, Philippines. 2000. Master’s Thesis, MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning.
25. Trivedi N, Tiwari R. Redevelopment for the urban poor: Evaluating participatory strategies. In: 5th Australasian Housing Researchers’ Conference. 2011.

As India’s cities grow quickly and its population changes, urban housing has become a major issue. More than a third of the population today lives in cities, and that number is expected to reach almost 50% by 2050. This has led to a huge increase in the need for affordable and decent housing. Both opportunities and problems come with this growth. On the one hand, cities are becoming places where businesses thrive, bringing in money and creating jobs. On the other side, the lack of housing and infrastructure in cities that can keep up with demand has led to acute shortages, soaring property prices, and the growth of slums and informal settlements. Rapid urbanization, population growth, and economic growth are all changing urban housing in India in a big way. This article looks at the most important trends that are affecting housing in cities such as the growth of affordable housing, more private sector participation, and the use of smart and eco-friendly building technology. It also talks about important problems, including not enough housing, the growth of slums, problems with regulations, and differences in access to housing based on income and social status. The report examines governmental initiatives, such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and urban planning frameworks, emphasizing the necessity for coordinated, inclusive, and sustainable strategies to address the housing needs of an expanding urban populace. The article ends with policy suggestions for fixing structural problems and making housing fairer in cities in India.

Keywords: Urbanization, affordable housing, slum development, housing policy, sustainable urban planning

🔒 This is a subscription article

Full text is available to subscribers and institutional members. Please choose an option below to access it.

1. Okeyinka YR. Housing in third world cities and sustainable urban development. Develop Ctry Stud. 2014;4(8).
2. Sharma P. India’s uneven urban growth: A look at trends and policies. J Glob Initiat. 2018;13(1). doi: 10.32727/11.2018.229.
3. Dupont V. Un défi majeur des villes indiennes: l’accès à un logement convenable. Bull Assoc Geogr Fr. 2017;94(1). Available from: http://journals.openedition.org/bagf/294.
4. Ji S, Mokashi Punekar R. Intervening on ‘building as a product’ and ‘habitation as a service’ in contemporary urban settings for adaptive micro habitation design. In: 3rd LeNS World Distributed Conference Bengaluru: Designing Sustainability for All. 2019.
5. Narendran A, Musau F. Mass housing in Bangalore, India, that is flexible and responds to the environment. In: 30th International PLEA Conference, CEPT University, Ahmedabad. 2014.
6. Ibem EO, Aduwo BE, Ayo-Vaughan K. Evaluation of the sustainability of public housing initiatives in Ogun State, Nigeria: A post-occupancy assessment methodology. Mediterr J Soc Sci. 2015;6(4). doi: 10.5901/mjss 2015.v6n4s2p523.
7. Ahmad MO, Ahad MA, Alam A, Siddiqui F, et al. Cyber-physical systems and smart cities in India: Prospects, challenges, and concerns. 2021. Available from: https://nlm.nih.gov.
8. Ray S, Ray IA. The effects of population growth on environmental degradation: A study of India. J Econ. 2011;2(8).
9. Jabeen A, Sheng HX, Aamir M. Housing crises in Pakistan: Population growth and inadequacies in housing legislation and policies. Int J Sci Basic Appl Res. 2015;24(3).
10. Tripathi S, Kaur H. Determinants of rural to urban migration in large agglomerations in India: An empirical analysis. MPRA Paper 76484. 2017.
11. Kumar PK. An empirical study on the empowerment of weaker sections through housing schemes in Karnataka. 2019. Available from: https://www.ijsr.net/archive.
12. Samad D, Zainon N, Rahim FAM, Lou E. A new look at Malaysia’s affordable housing programs. Open House Int. 2017.
13. Obi NI, Ubani O. The changing cost of housing in Nigeria. 2014. Available from: https://core.ac.uk/.
14. Kolawole OM, Adewuyi SO, Lukman M, Adeleye GO, et al. An evaluation of housing infrastructure in public housing: Bashorun Housing Estate, Akobo, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. 2014.
15. Pal R, Aneja N, Nagpal D. The difference in housing and basic services in India. MPRA Paper 61994. 2015.
16. Palanisamy S, Ramamoorthy N. An exploratory investigation of the housing finance system in India and China. 2007. Available from: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de.
17. Bandyopadhyay S. Some important issues in Indian municipal finance. 2014.
18. Meth P, Belihu M, Buthelezi S, Masikane F. Not wholly displacement: conceptualising relocation in Ethiopia and South Africa as “disruptive re-placement.” Geogr Cities. 2022;44(2):1–26. doi: 10.1080/02723638.2022.2042067.
19. Chandram VKP. The effect of climate change on human development in India: Connections and the need for adaptation plans. Artha J Soc Sci. 2015;14(4):111. doi: 10.12724/ajss. 35.6.
20. Sethi M, Sharma R, Mohapatra S, Mittal S. Urban climate resilience: Negotiating climate science, adaptation, and multilevel governance in India. 2021. Available from: https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
21. Leal Filho W, Echevarria Icaza L, Omeche Emanche V, Quasem Al-Amin A. Impacts, strategies, and tools to mitigate urban heat islands: An evidence-based review. 2017. Available from: https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
22. Laili Yeon A, Basarudin NA, Mohamed Yusoff Z, Hilal Md Dahlan N, et al. Keeping the green environment in the smart home project: Establishing a lasting legal framework. In: E-Commerce International Conference, Malaysia. 2017.
23. Kim MJ, Cho ME, Jun HJ. Creating design solutions for smart homes using user-centred scenarios. 2020. Available from: https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
24. Singh A, Mathema S, Mawilmada N. Decentraation and housing delivery: Insights from San Fernando, La Union, Philippines. 2000. Master’s Thesis, MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning.
25. Trivedi N, Tiwari R. Redevelopment for the urban poor: Evaluating participatory strategies. In: 5th Australasian Housing Researchers’ Conference. 2011.