1. Context and Rationale
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. Meanwhile, climate action and green infrastructure initiatives are creating new pressures and competing demands on limited urban and peri-urban land.
Traditional valuation frameworks, largely driven by “highest and best use,” often overlook affordability, social value, and environmental resilience.
This panel will critically debate ground realities and explore pathways for ensuring that land markets serve broader social, economic, and climate goals.
It will bring together policymakers, valuation professionals, urban planners, sustainability experts, and industry leaders.
2. Objectives of the Proposed Session:
Examine the causes and dimensions of urban land unaffordability in Indian cities.
Discuss the role of valuation, planning, and regulation in shaping access and equity.
Explore how climate action and sustainability imperatives affect land value and affordability.
Identify innovative models, policy reforms, and digital tools that could make urban land more accessible and transparent.
3. Agenda and Format (75 minutes)
Opening remark by moderator & context setting (5 minutes)
Opening remark by paneliets (15 minutes)
Two rounds of questions to panelists (40 minutes)
Audience Q&A and Closing Remarks (15 minutes)
4. Expected Outcomes
Policy Insights: Identification of actionable policy and valuation reforms to address urban land unaffordability.
Framework: Broader understanding of how affordability, equity, and sustainability intersect in urban land markets.
Cross-sector Learning: Dialogue among policymakers, valuers, planners, developers, and sustainability experts.
Future Agenda: Recommendations for research, data innovation, and pilot initiatives that promote inclusive and affordable urban land markets.
About the session speakers
Mr Sameer Sinha
Director, Founder and MD at Savvy Group
Panelist
Mr Shobhit Tayal
Director, DPC Ahmedabad
Panelist
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Dr Prashant Das
Associate Professor, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
Panelist
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Mr Jagan Shah
CEO, The Infravision Foundation
Panelist
Jagan Shah is CEO of The Infravision Foundation, an advocacy thinktank focused on transforming infrastructure for cities, transportation, agriculture and energy. Jagan is keenly interested in the ways that people, places, technology and design can combine to make sustainable and resilient cities. His previous roles include Director of the National Institute of Urban Affairs, Senior Infrastructure Adviser in the UK Government and Senior Adviser for Capacity Building at The World Bank. He co-created the Smart Cities Mission, incubated centres for digital governance, sanitation and climate adaptation at NIUA, and led the preparation of the Draft Master Plan for Delhi 2041, for which he drafted key policies for Transit-Oriented Development, Land Pooling and Green Area Development. He led the EU-and-AfD-supported ‘City Investments to Innovate Integrate and Sustain’ (CITIIS) program and designed CDRI’s Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (IRIS) facility. Shah obtained his education in New Delhi, Cincinnati and New York. He has taught and practised architecture and served as Director of the Sushant School of Art & Architecture. He is an advisor to the Oorvani Foundation in Bengaluru, a Trustee of Manila-based Clean Air Asia, and Trustee of the New York based Institute for Transportation & Development Policy (ITDP).
Dr Ashish Gupta
Associate Professor, RICS School of Built Environment, Amity University
Moderator
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