The Socioeconomic Effects of the Working Poor Moving to Permanent Dwellings: The Case of the Ashray Affordable Housing Pilot Project in India

Nicholas Burger ; Italo A. Gutierrez ; Krishna B. Kumar ; Jill E. Luoto ; Dhaval Monani ; Kavita Raichura

RAND Corporation

RAND Corporation

关键词: Residential Housing;    Socioeconomic Status;    Urban Planning;    India;    Developing Countries;   

DOI  :  10.7249/RR714
RP-ID  :  RR-714-RF

学科分类：自然科学（综合）

美国|英语

来源: RAND Corporation Published Research

【 摘 要 】

RAND Corporation researchers assessed the socioeconomic effects that moving into permanent dwellings — in particular, into the Ashray Affordable Housing Pilot Project in India — has on the working poor. The aim of projects like Ashray is to build houses in peri-urban zones on the outskirts of large metropolitan areas that are home to manufacturing and industrial bases. By capitalizing on cheaper land, the demand for affordable housing from local workers, and creditworthy risk profiles of employed workers seeking home loans, low-cost housing projects may help low-income workers and their families improve their living conditions, while still allowing developers to recover their costs. RAND researchers, in collaboration with ISB, undertook a mixed-methods evaluation of the Ashray project as an initial step to understand the impacts that such private-sector affordable-housing projects can have on the well-being of low-income households. They collected qualitative data through focus-group discussions of current Ashray residents and carried out a quantitative survey of the residents and owners of the Ashray units in late 2013 and early 2014. Together, these two data sources provide early evidence into the ways in which this new housing project has affected the lives of its residents. They asked residents about their living situations, housing amenities, commute times to work, social networks, and financial situations, both prior to moving to Ashray and currently while living there.