Scaling-up of climate resilient housing in Gorakhpur, India
The poor in cities are faced with dual challenge – that of housing shortages and of increased vulnerability to climate change impacts, given the location of their houses as well as their capacities to recover. More often than not, housing for the urban poor is not only an asset, but also a place for income generation. Based on consultations with key stakeholder groups in Gorakhpur city in eastern India, this paper examines the housing vulnerability challenges faced by the urban poor. The paper analyses the existing constraints within the current financial mechanisms for home mortgages, especially for low income group households; the lack of technical capacities of the local masons on low cost and climate resilient building techniques; and the absence of information at the household level towards creating a demand for climate resilient housing construction.