Abstract:
Cities like Gurugram, often viewed as symbols of India’s aspirational urban future, the rapid expansion of private real estate, luxury enclaves, and corporate infrastructure has become synonymous with economic development. However, beneath this visible transformation lies a parallel reality marked by deepening housing exclusion for low-income communities. Despite policy frameworks such as the Mukhya Mantri Shehri Awas Yojana (MMSAY) and the Haryana Affordable Housing Policy (HAHP), large segments of the urban poor remain unable to access secure, formal housing. This thesis critically examines the governance and spatial delivery of affordable housing in Gurugram. Using a qualitative methodology, it draws on field-based slum surveys, stakeholder interviews, policy review, and case observations to explore why existing housing schemes fail to meet their stated goals. Core issues identified include the circumvention of the five-year lock-in clause through Power of Attorney transfers, speculative purchases by ineligible investors, and flawed beneficiary verification processes. Many genuine applicants remain excluded, while housing units are often informally rented or traded, undermining the intent of long-term affordability. In addition to governance failures, the study underscores structural planning limitations such as peripheral project siting, lack of multimodal connectivity, and the absence of community representation in decision-making. These findings are situated within broader urban theories including neoliberal urbanism, implementation theory, and urban bias, helping to contextualize why state-led affordable housing becomes vulnerable to elite capture and market logic. The thesis proposes a set of policy and planning reforms, including a geo-tagged digital allotment registry, community-led monitoring boards, integration of housing schemes with transit and services, and performance-based incentives for developers. These suggestions are supported by precedents from both Indian and global contexts. By highlighting the lived realities of Gurugram’s urban poor and the systemic distortions in affordable housing policy, this research contributes to a more inclusive, equitable, and accountable urban development discourse.
Key Words- Speculative Investment, Urbanisation, Policy Reforms, Housing Affordability, Inclusionary Zoning, Housing Capability
