Affordability is measured in terms of disposable income and affordable housing is categorized in terms of the cost of a house as a proportion to the total income of a household.  A significant role of government is needed in this regard. The government should be prepared a strategy to take this challenge head-on and boost the supply of diverse housing options. The solution is to incentivize market forces to deliver houses for these categories. Here a three-fold strategy is required which basis is to allow the private sector to construct houses for the poor on an ownership basis and subsidies should be passed directly to the occupants, to promote the construction of rental housing of different sizes. The rent should be pooled to create a fund for the maintenance of these complexes &  subsidies may be given to needy people and last fold is to consider low-income houses for senior citizens, destitute, single women, working men & women, daily wage earners, etc. since their requirements and affordability differ The strategy of government would need to address urban poor belonging to all categories, as mentioned above.

Housing is closely interlinked with local community, health, livelihood, natural resources, climate and culture. This implies the need for participatory planning in order to achieve the housing goals, establish the requirement of the resources and detail out the exact manner in which the plans are to be accomplished. No plan, however good, can be implemented unless it is supported by the people and stakeholders at all levels of decision making and implementation. Spatial, financial and institutional structures can be coordinated by clearly defining the roles and resources of all agencies.