NPTEL course: Housing Policy and Planning

Dr. Uttam K. Roy, IIT Roorkee: January-March 2017 Week 6

NPTEL course on
Housing Policy and Planning

Week-Six Lectures consist following topics

1) Group Housing
2) Community Development and Housing
3) Cooperative Housing
4) Institutional and Rental Housing
5) Working person’s hostel and serviced apartments

Note:
1. This note has five sections corresponding to five lectures
2. This lecture note is to be referred along with the video lectures for better understanding

1.0 Planning for Group housing

Group housing is one of the most prevalent and popular housing mode seen in urban India since it offers
affordable houses. Unlike the plotted housing, land cost is shared by many people. Following a housing
strategy, lands are earmarked for such group housing in the strategy documents. With the prescribed
density, a planner is supposed to make plot level development control allowing architects to prepare
detailed design of the project. There are various considerations for group housing. Following principles
may be taken care of during preparing such plotted housing.

1. Network and access: A group housing scheme will have a system of network of road for
providing access to all building blocks and infrastructures. Roads are local or internal in nature
and can have varying width as per the requirements. As a general rule, vehicular and pedestrians
should have separate corridors or with minimum conflicts. In a typical housing neighbourhood
citizens should be able to access most of the facilities by walking or cycle. Effort should be taken
to keep vehicular entries minimum and strategic. Different access is suggested for different
groups if the project is large. Internal access roads should provide access to the parking areas with
convenience.

2. Facilities and Amenities: housing level facilities and amenities are very important to achieve a
better quality of life. It is mentioned earlier in section 1 how facilities and amenities are provided
at various levels. For assessing the exact requirement of land areas, practical need estimation to
be done and norms must be referred based on the total number of apartment. Location of facilities
and amenities must be done considering equitable distribution across the areas, convenient access
from roads, visibility etc. in cases some of the facilities may not need dedicated land and can be
clubbed.

3. Recreational Open spaces: Recreational open spaces are like the lungs of or body and functions
as a breathing space in a neighbourhood. It unites people and make community. It provides free
space for children to play and grow. It provides space for senior citizens to share and spend time
with enjoyment. It provides young people a refreshment they need in daily hassles. Therefore, the
placement of recreational green spaces should be taken maximum care. Usually a tot lot for very

Weekly Lecture Notes 6/8

 NPTEL course: Housing Policy and Planning
Dr. Uttam K. Roy, IIT Roorkee: January-March 2017 Week 6
small kids are provided within 50 m from any plot and easily accessible through pedestrians walk
with minimum or no vehicular conflict. Play areas and play grounds are provided for older
children at higher level for bigger projects. The spatial distribution of open space should be
equitable to ensure equitable access from every corner of the area. Now a day, the green spaces
are accommodated in the roofs as well. Therefore, a holistic thinking is expected considering the
variety of green spaces and their location in buildings as well as in the plot. The overall plan
should ensure the visibility of major open spaces from the common roads. It should not be
confined by all building blocks all around.

4. Arrangement of blocks and units: There can be numbers of possibilities of arranging building
blocks and units. Usually apartment units are arranged around a core consisting staircase, lifts and
other services as required. Such circulation core can provide vertical and horizontal access to
more than one apartments and up to eight generally. More the apartments served by a single core
more the compact and dense development. However, it needs meticulous space planning to
achieve such compact design. Building blocks are arranged in clusters around open space
ensuring enough light and ventilation to all the units. Height and arrangement of building blocks
should be such so that it will allow a visual openness as well as compactness.

2.0 Community Development in Housing

In the beginning, it was mentioned that the community is one of the very important dimension of housing.
We see a variety of contrasting example of housing and community development. For example, in slums a
robust community feeling is seen where as there are minimal housing existing. On the other hand, in some
part of the globe due to excessive real estate development thousands of buildings are seen with no
community formed since the houses are purchased as an investment and not occupied. Therefore
community is very important for the following reason:

• Fulfillment of housing target

• Ensure social interaction, better society and security
• Ensure the outcome of investment and resources for people
• Maintain successful governance mechanism
• Development of child psychological health for better next generation

However, we find plenty of challenges in forming community like,

• Variety of people from diverse social background
• Less time availability for social interactions due to busy life and work style
• Exposure and exploitation due to electronic and social media
• Concentration on gated communities

There are various strategies which can be taken to form community in housing development.
• Encourage community based housing typologies like cooperative housing, institutional housing
• Encourage compact development
• Encourage mixing of compatible land use
• Plan, accommodate and facilitate community based festivals, fairs and gatherings
• Protection of urban green space from existing and new areas
• Spatial planning (hierarchical and continuous open spaces)

Weekly Lecture Notes 6/8

 NPTEL course: Housing Policy and Planning
Dr. Uttam K. Roy, IIT Roorkee: January-March 2017 Week 6

3.0 Cooperative Housing

Housing developed by ‘housing cooperative’ is called cooperative housing. Housing cooperatives is the
group of people having similar social/economic/cultural background and formed spontaneously under
legislation. It has following essential criteria

• Cooperative Housing Societies Act/rules and regulations

• Land and common facilitates belong to cooperative, apartment belong to individuals

Process of cooperative housing development is little different other housing typologies. Below are the
stages of cooperative housing formation:
• Formation of cooperative
• Registration under govt. dept. and declaration with signatories
• Apply/purchase for land
• Land is allotted to cooperatives
• Prepare design and drawing with the help of architect
• Construction
• Occupancy/Operation and maintenance

The distinctive difference between the cooperative housing and other housing is that the community in
terms of cooperative comes at the beginning unlike other housing. In a planning paradigm, cooperative
housing is very important and offers various benefits like:

• Community formation from an early stage

• Less numbers of transaction leading to less cost and time involvement
• High density possible
• Affordable options
• More transparency and sense of ownership
At the city level policy decisions need to be taken to ensure cooperative housing in large extent. For
example, in the New Town Kolkata, 80% of the plots are earmarked for group housing. However, the
planning, design and implementation of cooperative housing several challenges:

• Lack of cohesiveness in large cooperatives

• Transfer of ownership is troublesome
• No choice or customization /allotment of unit through lottery

A careful planning with effective communication and implementation can cope up with the challenges in
cooperative housing.

4.0 Institutional and Rental Housing

4.1 Institutional Housing

Location of housing is largely related to livelihood and job location. For this reason, employers can
provide housing to their staff. This is called institutional or employees housing. For example, there are
various central and state governments who provides the housing for their staffs. In fact, a strategic

Weekly Lecture Notes 6/8

 NPTEL course: Housing Policy and Planning
Dr. Uttam K. Roy, IIT Roorkee: January-March 2017 Week 6
planning integrating the commercial and business areas and the institutional housing nearby can reduce
the stress on the transportation infrastructure. The institutional housing is required for the following
reason:

• Better community development

• Minimum home-work distance
• Less pressure on housing market
• Serves low duration housing need
• Serves housing need for singles and small family

Strategy to encourage Institutional Housing can be multifarious.

• Allocate Land for residential and commercial in suitable interlinked location

• Policy to ensure work-home package to employees
• Speedier housing infrastructure and services for institutional housing
• Legal reforms to enforce the corporates to provide housing in the vicinity

4.2 Rental housing

Rental housing is the unique facility a new comers and migrants vail in a new place. It provides easy
accessibility to shelter for short duration and with flexible terms. National Rental Housing Policy 2015
provides the policy framework for creating large amount of rental housing for different groups with divers
need for transitional and short duration stay. The following strategy can be taken:
• Reform in rent control acts to ensure the right of owner and rented
• Promote rental housing for various sizes and economic groups
• FAR/FSI and mix uses to promote rental housing
• Strengthen rental housing agency at the city level
• Mechanism for maintenance and operation for sustainability
• Institutionalize rent-to-own schemes

5.0 Working Persons Hostel and Service apartments

The need for short duration houses are not limited to rental housing itself. There are need for hostel like
accommodation with mess facility and other common facility. This is called working persons’ hostel.
This is preferred by the single women and men staying in non-home towns for job. The basic
characteristics of such hostels area multifarious and given below:

• For single or small family who cannot afford regular rental apartments and house
• Required for small to medium duration one month to one year
• Community kitchen on payment basis
• Other facilities can be arranged
• Affordable option for working women and other persons’ accommodation

Similarly, serviced apartments are the dedicated apartments created for the companies to ensure very
short duration business stay incurring less expenditure than a hotel.

Weekly Lecture Notes 6/8

 NPTEL course: Housing Policy and Planning
Dr. Uttam K. Roy, IIT Roorkee: January-March 2017 Week 6
• Suitable for office accommodation for short durations
• Small to medium apartments with hotel like facilities
• Relative costlier than hostels
• Better service and maintenance required
• Mostly located near the commercial and business areas
• It is sold on lease basis usually.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Few questions to think and further study

1. How the privacy, light and ventilation can be ensured in the typical large group housing project? Is the
gated community arising out of group housing ensure real community? What is the future of community
development in the age of social media?
2. Can a rental housing programme prevent slum formation? if so what can be the modalities for such rental
housing? Can institutional housing be institutionalized also for people working in the private sector and
unorganized sector?
3. What are the locational attributes of working person’s hostel? Is working persons’ hostel be promoted as a
successful business model?

Weekly Lecture Notes 6/8