Introductory presentation at the Stakeholder Dialogue with Building Developers and Manufacturers in India.

Key learnings from the workshop  Community spaces is an important aspect that has been neglected in the defining 'affordable housing' in the Indian housing sector. Specifications of floor plans do not include spaces for terraces or open community spaces.  There continues to be a lack of credible data on the market (supply and demand) for green alternate building material and technologies.  The green building material and construction technologies market is restricted to a small market of suppliers (this is in reference to the scan conducted on the existing manufacturers for the 16 emerging technologies recommended by BMTPC) and consumers (results of the developers survey indicated the use of such material only by those aiming for a green building accreditation).  The construction sector is one of the largest employers in the country. For a holistic view of sustainable social housing, it is essential that the aspect of 'job creation' be considered as a key attribute to assess the choice of building material and technologies.  Similarly, 'criticality of material', i.e., factors such as environmental impacts, resource scarcity, supply, price fluctuations, will be crucial in determining the choice of building materials and technologies, given a specific location and context.  DELPHI exercise could also be used to collection information from developers, on their perceptions on use of green building material and technologies.