Housing adequacy in Delhi, Dhaka and Karachi: strategies for promoting sustainable and inclusive housing

Access to adequate housing is one of the major challenges in the rapidly urbanising megacities of the Indian subcontinent. This study examines variations in housing adequacy and its determinants in Delhi, Dhaka and Karachi. It investigates potential planning interventions to improve housing conditions, drawing on urban policies, programmes and insights from Demographic and Health Surveys. Findings reveal severe housing inadequacy, with four out of ten households living in inadequate housing. Notably, certain socio-cultural disadvantaged communities experience exceptionally poor housing conditions. Income inequality is identified as the most important factor contributing to housing inadequacy, followed by inhabitants' socio-cultural backgrounds and educational attainment. Dhaka and Karachi have made considerable progress in housing adequacy, whereas Delhi's progress has stalled. A key challenge remains the need to expand living spaces, although Dhaka also requires improvement in urban amenities. To achieve sustainable and inclusive housing, it is crucial to enhance access to adequate living spaces, particularly among disadvantaged communities, establish interlinkages between housing adequacy and socio-economic conditions and reimagine urban governance systems.