In the advanced countries, the governments have taken adequate measures to stop the proliferation of slums and ghettos. The picture is quite different in India, where slums and squatters are rapidly taking over 1/3rd of the metropolitan areas in cities like Kolkota, Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Kanpur and Lucknow. Here the slum population constitutes 35.35 percent, 38.30 percent, 31.87 percent, 30.24 percent, 40.34 percent and 38.79 percent of the total population respectively. Consequently, when we discuss or plan for urban housing development, we must also consider the section of the population who are living in slums and other squatter settlements.
The rapid deterioration in the quality of urban housing and urban environment is of much concern to all the concerned citizens of the country. There are many reasons for such a condition, which has developed over the last forty years. However, the prime reason is the rapid increase in population in the urban centers on account of the natural increase in population due to higher birth rates and the increasing migration from neighboring districts, towns and states. Thus unemployment and under employment is also a problem.
Such a situation has led to a lack of access to land (at affordable prices) and finance (on easy terms) non-availability of building materials (at affordable costs), inappropriate building bye-laws and legislations, delay in approval of building plans by the local municipality and municipal corporations and lack of long-term comprehensive plan to decentralize the cities.
Real Estate in Kerala has appreciated in value like never before. Thus any development project is likely to cost several times the cost needed just a few years ago. Due to the increasing scarcity of skilled construction labor, it is becoming increasingly difficult to manage the labor costs as well. Thus real estate managers have more issues to tackle when optimizing the resources under their control.
