Page 19 - SHELTER
P. 19
THEME PAPER
cheaper delivery of housing. developer bears the cost of values.They shouldn’t depend
While several innovative subsidizing to the extent he/she on Government subsidy. In
initiatives have been embarked has compensated in the form smaller cities, the Government
upon by the Central and of cost offsets and incentives can intervene and bear the cost
State Governments in India such as density bonus or higher of providing houses to EWS/LIG
to facilitate the provision of floor area ratio (FAR). The third at lower than the market rate. For
land and affordable housing to way could be to link IZ/IH with houses or apartments beyond
EWS and LIG segments, they significant upzoning of either a particular size, planning
have not been able to make particular areas or larger areas authorities may prescribe
an appreciable impact on the to gain from the principle of mandatory one or two rooms for
supply of affordable housing. land value recapture. The Sardar service personnel.
Patel Ring Road in Ahmedabad
India has generated some provides an example – with a CONCLUSION
very successful models of reservation of 1 km area adjacent
inclusionary zoning like Gujarat to the ring road as affordable The problem of affordable
Town Planning Scheme (TPS) housing zone with incentive housing in India is so huge that
with landowners/farmers as FAR. The developer gets two both markets and governments
partners in urban development, benefits – access and incentive need to work together to achieve
following the models followed in FAR. the social objectives of inclusion.
South Korea, Taiwan and Japan, While governments may focus on
with no cost to government The adoption of IZ/IH on a large the poorest of the poor segments,
and avoidance of cumbersome scale in India would require inclusionary zoning (IZ) and
land acquisition. But the need a larger policy shift in which inclusionary housing(IH)
is to implement the models developers will have to shoulder methods can be useful to
according to geography, culture, a part of the wider social costs solve a part of the problem.
economic context of different of development. Key principles The utilization of resources of
regions. Like no two regions are are: polluters pay and growth non-profit affordable housing
the same, no two inclusionary pays for impacts, including those groups dedicated to defending
zoning or housing policies can on affordable housing. Planning the rights of the poor can help
be the same. Each State needs to and local authorities also need in mobilizing public opinion
have a suitable legal framework to contribute by removing the towards affordable housing
as under Gujarat TPS with the hurdles that block developers and solving the funding and
process being made simpler from producing a “fair maintenance problems of such
and less time-consuming. share” of affordable housing. housing. India could perhaps
Inclusionary zoning in India Affordable housing problems consider a Social Housing Act
could be promoted in three in metropolitan cities like as in South Africa or establish
ways. The first is to provide for Mumbai have to be solved by the a Regulatory Commission
land reservation for socially and developers of Mumbai who gain on Social Housing taking
economically weaker sections from unearned increments and inspiration from the Mount
as in Gujarat Town Planning agglomeration rents rather than Laurel decisions in the United
Scheme. The second could by Government, as metropolitan States. An approach based on
be to impose a modest IZ/IH cities can be self-dependent due “right to the city” as in Brazil
requirement within the existing to their strong agglomeration and a strategy to create as much
zoning framework, where the economies and rising land affordable housing as possible
through the market place may
October 2020 Volume 21 No. 2-SHELTER 17
