The United Nations Human Settlements Programme designates October as the month to raise awareness about urban sustainability and related challenges. Known as ‘Urban October,’ it begins with World Habitat Day on the first Monday of October and concludes with World Cities Day on October 31. This period is apt for revisiting the aim of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG 11), which is to ‘make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.’
Currently, more than half of the global population lives in urban areas, up from around one-third in 1950 and projected to increase to around two-thirds in 2050. In India, this figure is close to 814 million.
But in many Indian cities, there are at least two pressing issues — inadequate housing and poor roads.
Read more: Housing in Delhi: Ultimate dream of people slipping out of reach
No place to call home
Rising costs and high taxes have made housing in India expensive relative to the per capita income. In May 2024, at a Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) event in Mumbai, a stock broker expressed his frustration to the Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman at having to pay high taxes to purchase a house in Mumbai, even though his income is already taxed.
When purchasing power is low, people look to rent. In 2015, the government launched the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana — a credit-linked subsidy scheme by the Government of India to facilitate access to affordable housing for the low and moderate-income residents of the country.
Nevertheless, many cities are faced with a housing paradox — an increased demand for rental accommodation, along with high vacancy rates.
As per the last census conducted in 2011, the country had a vacancy rate of 12.4%. Maharashtra stood at 19% with the highest number of vacant houses (2.1 million), followed by Delhi and Bengaluru. Mumbai metropolitan region, Vasant Vihar, Greater Mumbai, and Greater Noida recorded vacancy rates of 44%, 28%, 15% and 61% respectively. Such high vacancy rates are largely attributed to India’s expensive housing relative to incomes, pro-tenant rent control laws, and poor contract enforcement.
Need for policy change in rent control
Between 1971 and 2011, the annual growth rate of vacant houses outpaced the growth of urban households. This unresponsiveness in the real estate sector has resulted in 17.4% of urban households in India living in slums. Currently, one in four urban homes in India is in a slum. In Mumbai, for example, more than half of the population resides in slums, many of which are located near employment centres in the heart of the city.
As per the Centre for Social and Economic Progress, a policy change in rent control laws will reduce India’s housing shortage by 7.5%. Recognising the adverse impact of the strict rent control laws on housing markets in India, the government of India introduced a Model Tenancy Act in 2021 for states to adopt. One of the main objectives of this act is to reduce vacancy across cities. The key highlights of the Model Tenancy Act are establishing a rent control authority and rent courts/tribunals at the district level to fast-track cases and mandate a decision within 60 days.
Road(s) to nowhere
The quality of many Indian roads is also poor. The use of kerosene in place of emulsion in bitumen makes roads weaker and more likely to develop potholes. Yet, it is a common practice among contractors, who look to cut costs to offset the bribes they have to pay to get tenders.
While there is a third-party inspection mechanism to check this issue, it is severely compromised, at least in Bengaluru. Srikanth Channal, Chairman, Association of Consulting Civil Engineers, Bengaluru, says, “Presently, the same officials award contracts and get third-party audit reports of their quality. The low quality of work and corruption is thus buried.” Ideally, the third-party audit should report to the Urban Development Department directly, he suggests.
One potential solution is to use plastic polymer waste mixed with asphalt, a technique introduced by Dr Rajagopalan Vasudevan, known as the Plastic Man of India, and first implemented in Chennai in 2004. Widespread adoption in India began in 2015 when the Union Government mandated its use in metro areas. By July 2021, 703 kilometres of national highways were constructed using this innovative technology. These roads withstand rain better, reducing the incidence of potholes.
Dealing with traffic congestion on Indian roads
Increasingly, cities are also becoming traffic nightmares.
In 2023, Bengaluru, Pune, New Delhi and Mumbai had the slowest-moving traffic in India. According to the TomTom Traffic Index, Bengaluru and Pune are the 6th and 7th most traffic-congested cities in the world. This leads to tragedies such as incidents of patients losing their lives because the ambulance got stuck in traffic.
Indian cities could draw ideas from places like Arlington, Dallas, Fort Worth, Garland, and McKinney in Texas, USA, where they use AI-powered traffic signals to manage traffic congestion and improve safety. These cities use an AI-powered platform called NoTraffic, which utilises sensors and cameras to adjust traffic lights in real-time and help prevent accidents.
Closer to home, Nagpur has begun using an AI-based initiative called iRASTE (intelligent Solutions for Road Safety through Technology and Engineering) to improve road safety and reduce accidents. The system identifies areas at risk of becoming accident-prone and predicts potential accident scenarios, helping to prevent future accidents.
Moreover, the MVA (Motor Vehicles Act) Act, 2019, includes a promising rule under Section 136A to support electronic enforcement of traffic laws. The Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety is overseeing its implementation. Following the committee’s guidance, the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) India Forum held a global conference on July 10, 2024. This conference aimed to gather ideas for a national ITS policy and to explore ways to make transportation in India safer, smarter, and more affordable.
The way forward
Defined as the movement of people from rural to urban areas for a better life, urbanisation is one of the most important global trends of the 21st century. In many cases, a high level of urbanisation in a country indicates a high GDP per capita.
However, there is a huge gap between policy intentions and their real-world implementation. Since all Indian cities are currently not on track to meet Goal 11, it is important to direct more attention to the challenges and opportunities of urban development.
A multi-faceted approach is required: outdated regulations must be revised, infrastructure must be enhanced, and technological advancements must be leveraged to create smarter, more sustainable cities. Only through a concerted effort can India’s cities transform from overcrowded, chaotic environments into thriving urban hubs that support economic growth, while ensuring a good quality of life for all citizens.