Policy responses to improve the quality of housing for the urban Poor: Case study Delhi, India

Abstract

Urbanisation is a major global trend, with over half of the world's population living in urban areas. Nearly 70% of the world's poor live in Asia. About 250 million do not have access to clear drinking water and sanitation, and another 250 million live in slums [1]. Urban poverty, associated with unemployment and the lack of access to adequate housing and services, is an increasing social problem in many Asian cities. The rapid growth rate of population in many major Asian cities exerts considerable pressure on these cities' governments to provide housing, infrastructure and services for a growing population. This presents a major challenge for urban planners and city managers to formulate policies and planning strategies to manage this development in a sustainable manner. This situation raises questions regarding how cities will be able to provide housing for the urban poor. Currently, housing for these communities in the majority of cities in developing countries, is provided by the informal sector, mostly in the form of slums and squatters. The aim of this paper is to identify policy responses to improve the provision of quality housing for the urban poor in Delhi, India. © 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.