During the last four and half decades, 5-6 million people have been added to urban India every year. The country has one of the largest urban systems with 289 million in 2001, which is projected to increase to around 605-618 million during 2021-2025. However, the key urban concern is the growing gap between demand and supply of basic services. While there has been a steady growth in the housing stock, infrastructure and services, the gaps between demand and supply have been rising, even in terms of conservative norms. While privatization of development seems the only viable option to meet this jarring gap between demand and supply for housing unfortunately the free capitalist economy only increases this gap even more because the people who don’t have houses lie in the lower income group or even below the poverty line. According to Census 2001 23.6 % of the urban population resides below the poverty line. The fact that the numbers of the poor have declined in rural areas, and increased in urban areas over the last three decades suggests that to escape rural poverty, the poor migrate to urban areas. As per the 11th five-year plan there is a shortage of 24.71 million dwellings, close to 99% of shortage in EWS & LIG segment. This can be seen in satellite towns outside major cities that are now urbanizing. The multinational organizations increase their profit by being close to the major city yet getting cheaper land prices and offices start shifting from the main city to the outside which increases the commuting. This is the case of Gurgaon. The National Capital Region Planning Board, a body that overlooks planning for regions surrounding Delhi, had forecast that by 2021, Gurgaon would have a population of 16.5 lakh people. That number will be breached this year, nine years ahead of projection. Their is no overall master plan being implemented because the zones are being governed by different authorities which fail to cooperate and work together. The land was bought from the villagers at very cheap prices where new housing projects are being developed and being sold at much larger prices with the agricultural land being used for development. “HUDA has started construction of a road across Gurgaon, called Dwarka Expressway, joining Dwarka, in Delhi and Manesar in Haryana. The total construction cost of the road is just Rs 75 crore. But it translated into real estate collectively appreciating by around Rs 10,000 crore on properties along the road. “Most of this land is bought by private developers who are unlikely to plough back the profits into Gurgaon—something HUDA could have done had it developed the area itself.” A 2009 WWF Report on Indian Urbanisation quotes Arun Maira, member of the planning commission and part of a local NGO trying to revive Gurgaon. The core problems lie in the disintegrated approach of all the stakeholders involved in the development of a city or the country. Instead of letting the private developers go berserk I think the government should introduce incentives so that the developers invest in the infrastructure as well as create dwelling units for EWS and adhere the development to the overall masterplan. The Maharashtra Government has introduced policy level changes to encourage PPP in which they increase the allowed FAR for a developer for them to integrate affordable housing in their scheme, which the government later rents out. This scheme also works because it locates the lower income groups closer to employment opportunities and reduces commuting distance. Other than giving incentives an integrated Masterplan is very important instead of to trying to later solving problems that arise from bad planning or unsustainable development. If the developers follow norms set by the masterplan then the city infrastructure can be better utilized. Above all I think that it is the responsibility of the architect to understand the impacts and relationships involved between the building and the overall complex system of the city or the context and vice-versa. These social economic and environmental impacts if understood and dealt with more sensitively can lead to an overall sustainable development and a better civic life.   Refrences : Kaul N. (2012) Rental Housing. Solutions for housing urban poor.