8 May 2017: Indian cities are expected to add another 300 million urban residents by 2050, and today, approximately 17% of urban households live in slums. India’s housing industry is one of its fastest growing sectors, and the government’s new housing mission, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna, which is the world’s largest housing programme for the poor, aims to build 50 million homes to address the urban and rural housing shortage. The government has also allocated USD 7.5 billion to develop 100 Smart Cities by 2020.
In light of the government’s commitments, the UNIBF Group on Affordable Housing convened its first meeting after the Mumbai launch, on 8 May 2017, at the Mahindra Life Spaces Office in Mumbai.
The group discussed challenges facing the sector, including authentication of beneficiaries, expanding the geographical reach of sustainable solutions, enhancing collaborations, promoting eco-friendly materials, integrating renewable energy solutions in housing, as well as policy and operational issues. More focused discussions on solutions included ways to reduce the cost of construction by using smart materials, skills development of masons and contractors, use of technology and deployment of low-cost materials.
The group will aim to create a prototype which can be scaled up to support ‘Housing for All‘ by 2022.
The meeting was attended by Ambuja Cement, HDFC, ICICI Foundation, Mahindra Lifespaces, State Bank of India, TATA Housing, VAM Infrastructure, Synterprise, ICAT, XPRIZE, and United Nations agencies.
Reshaping the future of housing in India
XPRIZE and the UN India also came together to organise the ‘Future of Housing Lab’. The initiative is designed to convene a select group of experts to offer their unique perspectives and help create scenarios for the future that ensure that sustainable housing is accessible for all. Key members of the housing group also participated in the first workshop organised through the lab. The lab was creatively curated to prompt ideas for radical innovations that could potentially re-shape the future of housing in India.
For more details about the focus area. Click here.