Research on Rural Housing

Lokal Habitat has been engaged in research on rural housing and development, with a focus on improving housing quality, climate resilience, construction ecosystems, and access to housing finance. As part of this work, we collaborated with rural housing finance companies to better understand the realities of housing construction and maintenance for low-income households.

We conducted a scoping study with a housing finance company in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, a region characterized by flat terrain, black soil, a dry climate, and seasonal monsoons. Given that most households depend on agriculture, housing outcomes in the region are closely linked to environmental and economic vulnerability. The study examined the physical condition of homes, the availability and skill levels of local construction labour, and the need for construction technical assistance (CTA) to support more durable and resilient housing.

Our research identified key challenges, including a rapid shift away from vernacular construction practices, shortages of skilled masons and contractors, challenges across the material supply chains, increasing climate-related risks, and limited homeowner capacity to supervise construction. These factors often result in poor-quality housing and costly post-construction repairs. 

The findings were published in Examining the Resilience of Rural Housing in Central India in 2025. The paper assesses the quality and resilience of low-cost housing and explores how construction technical assistance can improve housing outcomes, while also identifying pathways for NBFCs to sustainably integrate CTA  into their business models.