Our mission is to design innovative & scalable solutions to foster resilient housing and inclusive cities. We conceptualize and incubate projects to bring innovative thinking and design solutions to address complexities in low income urban housing. We have over 7 years of experience partnering with organizations like The World Bank, Ford Foundation, and MIT-JPAL. There is a large deficit of affordable housing in India, with millions living in informal settlements. Our past projects have provided affordable housing and financing solutions while improving structural safety. We are developing digital tools like an interactive training platform and design app to help scale affordable housing solutions and empower informal workers and homeowners.

1. Our mission is to design innovative & scalable solutions
to foster resilient housing and inclusive cities
mHS CITYLAB

2. • Interdisciplinary skills with over 7
years experience to address
complexities in low income
urban housing
COMMUNITY
DESIGN FINANCE• Conceptualizes & incubates
projects to bring innovative
thinking and design solutions
mHS’ Background
• Partners: The World Bank, Susan and Michael
Dell Foundation, Ford Foundation,
Facebook.org, Sewa, Ashoka, MIT-JPAL,
YALE School of Management GSE Program

3. A large component of Indian cities is made
up of informal settlements organized through
the process of self-construction which
provides affordable housing to millions
today.
18,000,000
Deficit of houses in India
15,000,000
Households living in informal
settlements in India
Urban Housing Context
• Exponential urban population
growth: 590 million by 2030
3

4. HOMELESSNESS

8. Urban informal settlements evolve to multi-stories dense
neighborhoods
• Low structural quality & seismic safety
• Poor lighting and ventilitation
8

10. Main Problems:
• Unskilled construction
workforce (Self-employed
masons are untrained)
• Lack of building regulation or
guidance by municipalities
• Limited awareness of risk
amongst homeowners and
masons
• Limited access to formal
construction finance
11%
Percentage of
skilled workers in India
10

12. Social problem: Precarious structures, disaster-prone
12

13. Solution: Pilot Project
Partners: BASIX Microfinance and Baliga Trust (CBO)
Pilot project combining affordable home construction financing with
customized technical & design assistance undertaken over 18 months on
design of 18 houses in Mongolpuri, a resettlement colony in North-West Delhi
MONGOLPURI
TOTAL PROJECT
COST
Rs 60 lakhs
LOANS UPTO
Rs 2.5 lakhs
LOAN DURATION
3-5 years
INTEREST RATES
16-18%pa%
PROJECT DURATION
2009-11
INR-25000 per month
Household Income
Impact: influenced design of World Bank USD100 MN housing finance project 13

14. Technical assistance was provided at a fee
of 3.5% project cost. Engineering drawings
were communicated in a simple graphic
medium and regular site visits conducted
14
Before
After

16. COMMUNITY
OUTREACH
SITE SUPERVISION
SITE SUPERVISION
DESIGN
WITH
CLIENT
COMMUNITY
OUTREACH

17. The Opportunity

18. DIGITAL LEARNING
PLATFORM:
Interactive educational tool for
masons and construction workers
DESIGN TOOLS:
Responsive Digital Service to
support Informal/Self built Housing
INPUTS OUTPUTS
• SKILL UPGRADATION
• DISASTER REHABILITATION AND
CONSTRUCTION
TRAINING
PROGRAM
mHS CITY LAB Future: Digital Tools
• HOUSING FINANCE COMPANIES (API for
Customer relationship management
Platforms)
• END USERS- MASONS LOW INCOME
• TECHNOLOGY: MOBILE RESPONSIVE
WEBSITE OR NATIVE APPLICATION
• TECHNOLOGY: INTEGRATIVE VOICE
RECOGNITION SYSTEM (IVR), MOBILE
RESPONSIVE WEBSITE

19. Transparency
between masons &
homeowners
Valuable and comprehensive
knowledge for masons &
homeowners
Empowers users through
information
Easy to use planning
tool
Potential to target
end users for next
phase
Savings through
financial planning &
link with Finance
Field interactions with over 400 end users and a study we
commissioned to a Branding Agency, have highlighted
multiple value implications for users
Value Proposition
(Households and Masons)
20

20. Our Approach
Tested through multiple prototypes & field interactions
FIELD
INTERACTIONS
26
LOCATIONS
8
PEOPLE REACHED
500
PILOTS
5
PROTOTYPES
12
21

21. Draft Timeline (12 Month)
• 0-6 months: Field validation and tool
development
• 6-10 months: Roll out of kiosks and
partners
• 10-12 months: Project evaluation
Project Outreach
Locations: Delhi and Ahmedabad
Partner: 2 NGOS
Private Sector: 1 Company
Financial Institutions: 2
Mason Trainings/Leveraging the J-PAL
Project outreach: 5,000 people
(INSIGHTS FROM CURRENT PILOT – KIOSK MODEL) >