The Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) is a national education institution committed to the equitable, sustainable and efficient transformation of Indian settlements.
IIHS aims to establish India’s first independently funded and managed National University for Research and Innovation focussed on the multi-sectoral and multi-dimensional challenges and opportunities of urbanisation. The University is intended to be a globally ranked institution at par with the celebrated Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs).
The IIHS is a proposed network of mother and daughter institutions across South Asia, leveraging on local and regional knowledge and innovation and linking them to global best practices. Its mother campus, based in Bengaluru, will include academic, research and social infrastructure, student and faculty housing. This campus is expected to set international standards for efficient, economic and sustainable design, operations and maintenance.
IIHS is a prospective National University for Research and Innovation – focused on India’s urban transformation. Regulatory clearances are in process with the Government of India to achieve full University status. The IIHS will mobilise knowledge and innovative responses to India’s core development challenges from across India and the world.
It will attempt to build theory based on practice across close to a dozen disciplinary areas and deliver this through a unique interdisciplinary programme of undergraduate and graduate learning and specifically designed programme for working professionals. This will be supported by an applied research programme with strong global links and an active engagement with innovative practice through its advisory and consulting programme. A detailed roadmap for institutional, campus and faculty development will be implemented in phases over the next 9 years.
IIHS aspires to be an international pioneer in interdisciplinary education, research, practice and action. The IIHS is one of the first national educational institutions committed to the equitable, sustainable and efficient transformation of India’s cities, regions and villages. It draws upon the best available international talent, a body of South Asia-centric knowledge and a state-of-the-art inter-disciplinary curriculum.
Its Masters in Urban Practice (MUP) programme is the first interdisciplinary professional degree of its kind in the world – that has been co-created by IIHS faculty and advisors and a global network of knowledge partners including leading universities like MIT and UCL, London; UCT, Cape Town; UFABC, Sao Paolo; and praxis partners like Ideo and Arup.
