Across the world, many people face uncertainty about their rights to land and housing. These uncertainties play an important role in shaping how people invest in and improve their homes. In this article, IHS alumnus Sagar Jayaramulu, reflects on his thesis research, conducted as part of the Thesis Research Atelier Programme of IHS. Sagar’s work highlights the value of the atelier as a platform for meaningful, field-based research that connects academic work with real-world urban challenges.
Meet Sagar
Sagar Jayaramulu graduated from the Urban Housing & Land Justice Master track at IHS in 2024. During his thesis period he was selected to be part of the Thesis Research atelier programmme of IHS. His study, done under the guidance of Dr Maartje van Eerd, and in collaboration with local action groups such as Information and Resource Centre for Deprived Urban Communities (IRCUDC), and Anna University in Chennai, explores the factors that shape residents' perceptions of tenure security and how these perceptions influence their decisions to invest in incremental housing upgrades.
Exploring tenure security
The study explores the perceived tenure security influences housing outcomes among residents engaging in incremental housing upgrades, within the Sites and Services (S&S) approach. Focusing on Ambedkar Nagar, a long-standing resettlement site in Chennai, India, the research offers valuable insights into community-driven development and the role of informal tenure in shaping urban resilience. By building on existing academic and community-based knowledge repositories, the study investigates how informal land arrangements and community trust shape housing investments, particularly in the absence of formal legal titles.
"The primary objective was to avoid research waste by building on existing academic and non-academic data repositories while contributing new insights to support marginalised communities."
The study helps explain how perceived tenure security influences housing outcomes among residents engaging in incremental housing upgrades, within the Sites and Services (S&S) approach, focusing on Ambedkar Nagar in Chennai. Moreover, it addresses the problem of insecure tenure and its impact on informal housing upgrades, particularly in contexts where formal titles are absent or delayed. The main objective of the research was to explore the factors that shape residents' perceptions of tenure security and how these perceptions influence their decisions to invest in incremental housing. The study also examines the role of government in mediating this relationship.
Conducting research: Interviews and challenges
Grounded in a qualitative research design, the research drew insights from semi structured interview and fieldwork. As part of the interviews, 23 semi-structured interviews with both Original Allottees and second-generation residents, along with 5 key informants such as local NGO representatives, journalists, housing experts, and former government officials. The data were triangulated with field observations, photo documentation, and secondary sources including blog posts, newspaper articles and government reports, which aided as valuable sources of data collection.
In any research, one is expected to run into certain challenges. While Sagar was able to pre-empt some of these challenges, others required additional steps to help mitigate them as much as possible. However, even with this elaborate pre-planning, it is likely that a degree of influence did impact the study. The timing of the study, for instance, was affected by numerous external factors, which included the 2024 general elections. Additionally, some of the residents were apprehensive about participating in the interviews, particularly when discussing topics such as income, and investments made on their dwellings.
New insights
Through his study, Sagar was able to gain new insights and uncover more about the percieved tenure security in Chennai. The findings reveal that tenure security is perceived differently by Original Allottees and second-generation residents. For the 14 original allottees, the allotment letter issued during resettlement provides a sense of ownership, despite the absence of formal title deeds (patta). Among the second-generation residents, who acquired land through informal transactions, rely on notarised documents and verbal agreements. This contributed to a sense of security even though they lack legal recognition.
The most striking realisation was how residents invested heavily in housing upgrades despite lacking formal land titles, relying instead on informal documents like stamp papers and community practices. Government inaction, which fails to enforce rules or evict, unintentionally reinforced their sense of security. Second-generation buyers in particular, treated verbal agreements and neighbour-led construction as validation of ownership. This revealed how perceived security often relies on social trust and tacit state approval more than legal titles.
Moving forward
Sagar's thesis helps demonstrate how perceived tenure security, even without formal titles, can motivate residents to invest in incremental housing upgrades.
"Policymakers must prioritise legal reforms that improve tenure security, with clear guidelines for the associated government agencies."
To address these gaps, the state government, in collaboration with local municipalities, should establish Pop-up Land Camps whose role would be to disseminate information directly to residents.
Future research can add to this by focusing on a quantitative comparative analysis of different Sites and Services programmes across various cities and identify trends as to how this approach on different levels of government support, legal frameworks, and social attitudes have impacted perceived tenure security and the extent of incremental upgrades. Additionally, studies could investigate the role and impact of informal land transactions and agreements on residents' perceptions of tenure security, identifying how these informal practices influence housing upgrades and community stability in contexts where formal legal recognition is absent.
The research documentary
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- More information
The preliminary findings from the data collection phase were presented at the Learning for Equity (L4E) Symposium 2024, part of the project “Communicating and improving students’ interdisciplinary engagement with social (in)justice”. The L4E initiative is supported by Erasmus University’s Community for Learning & Innovation and sponsored by the Vital Cities and Citizens programme. The presentation is available here: Learning for Equity 2024 Collection – Volume 3.
Following the completion of the thesis, a summary of the findings was published as an article on April 22, 2025, by Citizen Matters -a civic media platform known for insightful reporting on critical urban issues and innovative solutions for cities. The article can be accessed here: Give the poor homes or allow them to build? Ambedkar Nagar may hold the answer.
