Panel discussion at the India Land & Development Conference (ILDC) 2025
“Is Urban Land Affordable? Rethinking Value and Equity in Indian Cities.”
Urban land affordability has become a central challenge in India’s development trajectory. Rapid urbanisation, infrastructure expansion, and speculative land markets have driven land prices far beyond the reach of most citizens and small developers. This has serious implications for housing supply, inclusive urban growth, and sustainable city planning.
The session brought together leading voices from academia, industry, planning, and policy to unpack the growing challenge of land affordability in India’s rapidly transforming urban landscape.
🎙️ Panelists
Prof (Dr) Ashish Gupta, PhD, FRICS – RICS SBE, Amity University (Moderator)
Prof (Dr) Prashant Das, PhD – IIM Ahmedabad
Mr Sameer Sinha – Founder & MD, Savvy Group
Mr Jagan Shah – CEO, The Infravision Foundation; Former Director, NIUA
Mr Shobhit Tayal – Director, Design & Planning Counsel (DPC), Ahmedabad
The session provided sharp insights and actionable reflections on how India can rethink land value to create cities that are inclusive, equitable, and climate resilient.
🔍 The way ahead
Unlock public land through PPP
Transparency in land records through use of technology - create central land registry
For impactful planning - adopt technology (GIS, digital twin, etc.), conduct hydrological studies, etc.
Create city level serviced land banks
Abadi areas should be integrated within the cites
Create differential FSI & Density within the cities – TOD can be one effective tool
Modify DCRs – incremental FSIs should be performance based.
Promote redevelopment to unlock prime land parcels within the cities
