Ahmedabad is caught in a housing paradox of its own making. Its affluent western neighborhoods are burdened by aging, seismically vulnerable apartments. Its peripheral zones are paralyzed by outdated zoning rules. And across the city, empty homes are dragging down property values.
Research Insights
These findings come from N K Patel, patron and past president of the Institute of Town Planners India, whose research paper was presented at a workshop on the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Development Plan 2041 in May 2026. It reveals that the city could unlock over 5.5 lakh new housing units by aggressively pivoting its Floor Space Index (FSI) policy and accelerating redevelopment.
West Zone Analysis
Patel’s analysis begins in the West Zone — covering Vasna, Navrangpura, Usmanpura, and Ambawadi. Auditing AMC property tax bills across 86,388 structural entries in 12 core wards, he found that 40% of existing apartments — some 34,752 units — were built before 2000, predating modern post-earthquake structural codes. Replacing them would add 13,900 new units to the core alone.
Scaling the analysis to the wider western belt, Patel estimates roughly 60,000 aging apartments exist. Even treating only 30% as dilapidated would yield 20,900 new housing units — excluding high-growth pockets such as Ghatlodia and Thaltej.
Peripheral Zone Potential
Beyond the core, Patel’s mapping identified 2,965 reserved plots up to the SP Ring Road. The peripheral R3 zone holds 16.9 square kilometers across 3,029 plots, yet has seen negligible development over 24 years due to a restrictive 0.3 FSI. A uniform 2.7 FSI baseline, he argues, would unlock 1.31 lakh additional units. In Sola-Ognaj alone, this would generate 90,805 homes.
Vacancy and Green Belt Concerns
Patel also warns against repeating past Green Belt mistakes and flags a 15% structural vacancy ratio — ghost houses whose inventory has risen from 11.85% in 1991 to 14.82% in 2018, suppressing resale values by at least Rs 1,000 per square foot.
Key Research Insights
- Policy Paralysis: Peripheral R3 zones have been stagnant for 24 years because restrictive zoning makes development unviable.
- Seismic Safety: 40% of the West Zone’s housing stock is over 25 years old and lacks modern post-earthquake structural codes, necessitating immediate redevelopment.
- Immediate Renewal: 18,000 apartments in Ellisbridge, Naranpura, and Sabarmati warrant immediate renewal.
- Stagnation Factor: Despite having nearly 17 sq km of land, R3 zones have produced negligible housing in two decades.
- Vacancy Paradox: Ahmedabad’s vacancy rate has risen from 11.8% in 1991 to 14.8% in 2018; developers must compete with a 15% ghost house stock.
- Total Capacity: Between vacant land (400k units) and R3 conversion (131k units), the city can add over 5.3 lakh homes without expanding its current boundary.
Vacant Land Inventory (Up to SP Ring Road)
- R1 (High-density areas): 310 plots, 1.66 sq km, potential for highrise apartments.
- R2 (Medium density): 1,190 plots, 5.92 sq km, potential for mid-density housing.
- R3 (Peripheral areas): 3,029 plots, 16.95 sq km, stagnant reservoir.
- RAH (Affordable housing zone): 2,301 plots, 9.92 sq km, potential for low-cost units.
Housing Yield with New FSI Policy
- Base FSI (0.3 to 1.8): 273,316 housing units projected.
- Purchasable FSI (Uniform 2.7): 400,438 housing units projected.
- R3 Conversion (Pockets 1 & 2 only): 131,550 housing units projected.
Stakeholder Perspectives
Jitendra Shah, President, Urban Redevelopment Housing Society Welfare Association: Paldi, Vasna, Navrangpura, Vadaj, Naranpura, Usmanpura, and Memnagar are key pockets for redevelopment opportunities. The apartment concept came here initially. As of now, more than 500 societies have been redeveloped or are under construction or MoU signed, while negotiations are ongoing for at least 400 societies.
Kartik Soni, Developer: Redevelopment has huge potential in the city, but 100% consent from society residents is very difficult. There should be SOP for redevelopment after 75% of the members give consent for redevelopment. Steep price rise in raw material prices has affected redevelopment negotiations in the last few months.
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About the Author
Paul John is the Chief of Bureau at TOI Ahmedabad, with over two decades of work experience across TOI bureaus in Vadodara and Surat. He has led impactful environmental campaigns, including Gujarat's Toxic Corridor, My City My River, the RTI Act awareness campaign 'Jago Gujarat – Use RTI', and the Ahmedabad Heritage Campaign, which helped the city gain UNESCO World Heritage City status. He also co-authored TOI's heritage books for three cities. Currently, he coordinates the Ahmedabad reporting team, focusing on civic-focused journalism.
