ABSTRACT
Delhi’s experience of land supply has been unique. The informal land market has supplied substantial land despite the fact that formal land supply was supported by a strong land policy. This chapter examines the various tenure policies that have evolved in response to informal land delivery systems, the impact of such policies on improving settlement conditions, the causes of growth of such settlements and policy responses in terms of different types of tenure arrangements for improving security of tenure. Termed as ‘substandard areas’, these informal housing subsystems represent a parallel subsidized urban development process that, despite political patronage, is not integrated into the city. Each housing subsystem has undergone transformation over the past three decades. Policy responses have shifted with the changing situations. The context of urban land policy is described briefly below, followed by a discussion of the subsystems.
