Healthy Affordable Housing in India
Three factors – rapid urbanisation, growing need for affordable shelter for the urban poor, and climate change – have converged critically for India. As the Indian urban population is expected to rise to 50% by 2050, there is a huge demand for affordable housing by low-income groups.
Additionally, the palpable effects of climate change – heat waves, droughts, storms, and floods – also affect most the health and well-being of low-income groups. Women, the elderly, the sick, and children end up being the most vulnerable.
These effects get exacerbated in towns and cities as they expand and densify. In the context of affordable housing for urban poor, so far, the governmental policy focus has been on enabling rapid delivery of dwelling units to meet the outstanding and growing demand.
The qualitative attributes of housing such as climate appropriateness for comfort and overall health and well-being of occupants are not prioritised. Moreover, the need to curtail the carbon footprint of construction and promote resilience to climate change impacts is yet to be addressed.
Observations on the ground show that the current practices in affordable group housing for low-income groups tend towards high-rise and high-density construction, lacking provisions for climate comfort and resilience to climate change threats. For small homes (30 – 50 sq m) with large household sizes and the lack of effective community resources, this also adds to social and psychological stress.
An enormous amount of affordable housing, almost doubling the current housing stock, will be required to shelter the increasing urban population over the next two decades. This poses both an unprecedented challenge and a critical opportunity, as houses thus built will last at least 50-60 years and have the potential to impact resource usage and well-being of inhabitants during their lifecycle.
This calls for a prospective enhancement of policies and standards for the design and construction of affordable housing – to protect and enhance the security, health, and well-being of poor urban households, build resilience against extreme events, and contribute to climate change mitigation through resource and energy efficiency.
Not acting now would put at risk the well-being of a large section of urban residents, and will carry the burden of investment made in suboptimal residential environments. This paper proposes a framework for a holistic definition of health and well-being for low-income housing in urban areas – encompassing physical, social, and psychological dimensions of health, and resilience against disruptions caused by climate change and other extreme events.
The felt needs of women, the elderly, the disabled and the sick, and children are given due consideration, especially their need for safe and secure social interaction. A review of existing policies, programmes, codes, and regulations that guide the design and construction of low-income housing highlights the need for enhancement and amendment against a holistic definition of health.
This enhancement in policies and programmes holds the potential to positively contribute to India’s adherence to the United Nations’ New Urban Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and support its commitment to reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP as pledged in its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) in 2022 as a part of the Paris Agreement.
The recommendations of this white paper result from a structured research and stakeholders consultation process. A holistic understanding of healthy buildings was arrived at through a review of global literature. Then existing policies, programmes, codes and regulations were reviewed, along with the prevalent trends in design and construction practices for low-income housing.
These were analysed against the proposed holistic framework for defining healthy buildings in the context of climate change. Additionally, four existing affordable housing projects were analysed through the model of a living lab.
This involved evaluation of the building performance during heatwaves, along with in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with occupants to collect data on key health and well-being-related issues experienced by occupants.
The policy review and assessment of the issues faced by occupants on the ground prompted the recommendations put forward in this white paper for different instruments of planning – including policies, programmes, codes and regulations – that have a bearing on the design and construction of low-income affordable housing in urban areas.
Policies by the Central Government that impact the health and well-being of residents in urban areas include the National Urban Habitat and Housing Policy (NUHHP) formulated by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), and the National Health Policy (NHP) by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
These policies were framed before the severe threats and impacts of climate change gained urgency. The white paper recommends an alignment of the objectives of the two policies so they are mutually supportive, and a coordinated extension to incorporate aspects of health and resilience to climate change for low-income urban residents.