Housing is one of the major global development issues which occupy centre-stage in the UN policy framework. In India too, it is a key area of planning and economy. The Government of India has enunciated its emphasis in this area through the National Housing and Habitat Policy. Over the years, the establishment of the Housing and Urban Development Corporation, the National Housing Bank and the various projects funded by the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and the Overseas Development Administration has brought housing into the centre-stage of public policy debate.

Government of India also places emphasis on the housing sector through its national budget every year. There are many state level and local level housing producers, in addition to the large presence of the corporate sector actively engaged in the development of housing and real estate projects. In this background, a Chair in Housing was instituted by the UNEP in the School in the year 1958 and the Department of Housing was established.

Master of Planning (Housing) is a unique programme which offers comprehensive exposure to various facets of the subject including housing policy, finance, infrastructure, urban planning, poverty and slums, shelter for disaster affected areas, ‘green’ housing design and technology, GIS applications, real estate project formulation, and legal and governance issues. The course is offered through a combination of class room lectures, field assignments and practical studio exercises. It is a globally recognized programme and students are employed in a wide variety of work situations including government departments, international agencies, real estate companies and multinational firms.

In this programme thrust of studio exercise is as under: Second Semester - Housing Options and Strategy – In this studio, students study the housing situation in a given city and its suburbs. They study the different housing sub-systems, identify supply constraints, shortage, etc. and develop a strategy to address the housing problems of the city in the next ten years. Third Semester - Housing Project Formulation and Design – In this studio, students study the housing market in each city and its suburbs to formulate housing projects on selected locations. On the selected sites, students develop the product mix and design of the project based on several considerations and studies and work out the financial feasibility in terms of IRR, cash flow and profitability.