Diversity and Dynamics of Informal Rental Housing in a Mid-sized City in India

• Published in: Environment and urbanization Asia 2014-09, Vol.5 (2), p.285-301
• Main Authors: Desai, Renu, Mahadevia, Darshini
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alienation; Cities; Developing countries; Housing; Housing authorities; India; Informal economy; Land subdivision; LDCs; Multiculturalism & pluralism; Public lands; Public sector; Rentals; Rents; Submarkets; Tenure; Urban areas; Urban development; Urban poverty
• ISSN: 0975-4253; 0976-3546
• DOI: 10.1177/0975425315577173

Informal housing predominates urban housing options in developing countries, including India, in both its metro and its mid-sized cities. Within urban housing, two-fifths is rental in India. This study is located within one mid-sized city (Guwahati) in one of the least developed states (Assam) in India. The processes of supply of rental housing in the informal sector are linked with the processes of overall supply of housing identified in Guwahati as housing through (i) informal occupation of public and private lands, (ii) alienation of land and (iii) public sector. Within that, landownership, processes of land occupation/subdivision and development, and the role of various actors create submarkets. Submarket-specific, settlement-specific and owner-specific processes shape a diversity of informal rental housing with regard to extent, quality, level of basic services, rents and tenure security for the urban poor, posing challenges for pursuing a policy of ‘formalizing the informal’ in the case of India. 非正式住房在发展中国家的城市中成为了主要的住房选择，包括印度的大城市和中等城市。在印度的城市住房中，五分之二是租赁住房。本研究针对一个位于印度最不发达邦 (Assam) 的中型城市 (Guwahati)。非正式租赁住房的供应过程通过以下因素与 Guwahati 市明确的完整住房供应过程联系在一起：(i) 非正式的公共和私人土地权属，(ii) 土地转让，以及 (iii) 公共部门。其中，土地所有权、土地占有/细分过程的发展，以及各个参与者的角色共同创建了子市场。针对印度的情况，在基础服务的程度、质量、水平，城市贫民的租金和权属保障，面临挑战寻求一个政策”以正式的手段解决非正式住房问题”等方面，特定的子市场、特定的解决方案和特定的所有者形成了非正式租赁住房的多样性。