Residents of the Sanjaynagar informal settlement in Ahmednagar, India, have moved into homes they helped design through a participatory redevelopment project called Swapnapurti, meaning “fulfilment of dreams”. The project matters because it seeks to preserve residents’ social ties and accommodate their daily needs, rather than imposing the standard high-rise housing models that can disrupt established communities.

The first 33 homes were handed over in 2022, with the wider redevelopment intended to serve 298 families on a two-acre site. Residents worked with the Community Design Agency and local charity Snehalaya, while central and state government subsidies of 150,000 and 100,000 rupees per household respectively supported construction; the work also had to adapt to financial pressures during the Covid-19 pandemic.