Housing Plan

An efficient type of housing is seen when an area is planned with a specific housing plan. A housing plan addresses various issues i.e. social discrimination, provision of facilities, distance from work place, etc.

We need a housing plan as increasing Urban housing problem that perhaps causes the most concern to a majority of urban dwellers is the problem of finding an appropriate place to live. Also, the housing investment has not kept pace with the increasing demand for housing.

A systematic approach to the provision of shelter is therefore, sorely needed. Urban growth is unstoppable because of which housing sector is proving to be sluggish and left behind.

The need or purpose of a housing plan is basically to create an efficient housing in a city. A housing plan:

• Gives equal and free access to housing for everyone.
• Identifies the gaps, problems in proving housing.
• Focuses on the residential structure in the plan.
• Uses land use policies and financing patterns in favor of people.

A housing plan is generally prepared on basis of some factors which affect it. The factors like demographic structure, socio economic characteristics of population, land Uses, housing stock, environmental considerations, transport and infrastructure.

Why housing development plans are important & what they aim to solve

1. To assist all people  especially the houseless, economically weaker sections of the society, inadequate and lack of facilities within the house, to secure themselves affordable housing through access to land, building materials, housing finance, locally suited technology etc.
2. To develop a good environment for housing by all the sections of the society, by changing the attitude of public sector through developing an efficient and equitable distribution of housing delivery.
3. To increase the provision of infrastructural facilities as much to cope up with the demand of improvement of environment of human settlements, increase the access of economically weaker households to the basic services and to expand the supply of developed land for housing possibly by means of land use planning.
4. To implement the policies of government for eliminating poverty and providing employment to weaker sections of society as well as all other people, steps for expanding housing facilities to poorest section of the society by initiation and government financial support.
5. To mobilize the resources and invest in housing sector in order to meet the urgent needs of housing construction, modification and expansion of infrastructure and make resilient cities.
6. To curb speculation especially from real estate agents and property developers for land acquisition. Special priority should be given to economically weaker sections of society and promote more equitable distribution of land and houses in urban sector towards these groups.

7. To create a habit among the rural as well as urban weaker sections of the society for saving and investment in needy sector mainly housing.
8. To increase the role of public, private, group housing societies, insurance companies, well renowned banking institutions for providing credit facilities to the people and their employees for housing like national housing board, housing and urban development corporation, multi-national companies. And these institutions try to expand investment in housing sector through their banking ties with foreign companies.
9. To develop researchers as well as engineers dealing with housing sector for making houses at lower cost, using locally made resources which is very suitable for the prevailing environment conditions for the particular area and its durability.
10. To promote architectural as well as planners role for providing good houses to the masses and preserve the nation’s rich urban heritage for the generations to come.
11. To formulate a comprehensive programme which should stress the urban renewal and massive expansion of housing especially in towns and cities paying particular attention to the needs of slum dwellers and economically weaker sections of the society.
12. To try to reduce forced eviction and demolition of slums in urban areas, care will be taken to see that the urban and semi-urban poorest are provided housing near to their place of occupation.

Conclusion

From being a problem to be tackled by building more number of houses by the government sector, shelter activity must now become means of mobilizing the motivations, energies and resources of the people so as to lead more and sustainable development at a faster rate. Shelter must be treated not as an activity to be carried out in isolation but as an important integral factor for attaining economic growth with stability of the country with special emphasis on the economically weaker sections of the society.  For removing the existing bottlenecks in housing sector and planning for attaining sustained economic growth with stability in housing sector in coming years, the policy makers, researchers, academicians, planners etc. should take into account certain well established norms before making policy decisions.