Housing Data as Public Infrastructure Improving Housing Affordability through Digipin

Urban housing affordability in India presents not just a challenge of supply but also of visibility. While estimates a shortage of 50–70 million formal units, nearly 10 million homes remain vacant, highlighting the untapped potential within existing stock. Current data sources such as the Census, NBO, and NSSO provide valuable insights, but without a regularly updated housing repository, realities in informal & unauthorised colonies, and peri-urban areas remain underrepresented. This creates an opportunity: improving affordability through better housing discoverability. A reliable, location-linked repository can reduce search costs, strengthen price transparency, and empower citizens with accessible rental and ownership options. Global examples demonstrate the benefits of transparent housing data. Singapore’s detailed housing records support price discovery and vacancy management, while U.S. state-level initiatives integrate property records to enhance planning and rental assistance. The common thread is clear- standardised, location-linked housing data makes supply visible and actionable. India’s Digital Postal Index Number (DIGIPIN), launched in 2025, offers a transformative solution. By assigning every 4m x 4m grid a unique identifier, DIGIPIN provides a precise, machine-readable locational reference independent of conventional addresses. Accessible through the open-source ‘KNOW YOUR DIGIPIN’ platform, it combines geospatial information with addresses. Anchoring housing units to DIGIPIN enables concerned departments to create a geospatially accurate and interoperable Urban Housing Repository. This, in turn, makes housing supply visible across systems, supports targeted policy and programmatic interventions, and unlocks opportunities for valuation, transactions and risk assessment. Over time, it can significantly enhance housing discoverability- transforming India’s housing challenge into a pathway toward greater affordability, transparency, and citizen empowerment. Objectives -Facilitate informed dialogue on challenges in assessing housing supply and vacancy at city and neighbourhood levels; -Promote awareness of DIGIPIN as a foundational locational layer for integrating housing data across India; -Emphasise the need for standardised digital addressing to ensure housing stock data is reliable, interoperable and regularly updated; -Explore pathways for establishing and sustaining a geospatially anchored housing stock database.