Indian Institute for Human Settlements
Enabling urban transformation at scale.
600 million people call India’s cities home. How they live, move, breathe, and belong shapes the trajectory of an entire nation. IIHS exists to make those futures more equitable, sustainable, and full of possibility.
Who We Are
The Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) is a national education institution committed to the equitable, sustainable, and efficient transformation of Indian cities.
Through our interdisciplinary research, practice and capacity development initiatives, we aim to address urban challenges of the 21st century, create new global knowledge, and shape the next generation of urban professionals and leaders.
“We don't study cities from the outside. We work from within them — alongside communities, governments, and practitioners who are shaping urban India every day."
PROGRAMMES
Cities Are Never One Story
The Programmes at IIHS operationalise our mission to make India’s cities more equitable, sustainable and efficient. Though distinct, all of our Programmes are designed to intersect and collaborate, aiming to go beyond disciplinary silos. This cross-cutting design ensures that research, practice and training are continually intertwined.
Knowledge & Insights
An evolving conversation about cities.
Citations
IIHS produces peer-reviewed research, working papers, policy briefs, case studies, and reports — all freely accessible.
SCHOOLS
Interdisciplinarity in action
The Schools at IIHS break from the traditional one-department, one-discipline model, and are each dedicated to distinct transformative themes, with concrete pathways to impact. They draw from the rich traditions of various disciplines, while also embracing innovative, cross-sectoral, and interdisciplinary approaches to systematically address a wide range of urban issues.
School of Economic Development
IIHS produces peer-reviewed research, working papers, policy briefs, case studies, and reports — all freely accessible.
School of Environment and Sustainability
IIHS produces peer-reviewed research, working papers, policy briefs, case studies, and reports — all freely accessible.
School of
Governance
IIHS produces peer-reviewed research, working papers, policy briefs, case studies, and reports — all freely accessible.
School of Human Development
IIHS produces peer-reviewed research, working papers, policy briefs, case studies, and reports — all freely accessible.
School of Systems & Infrastructure
IIHS produces peer-reviewed research, working papers, policy briefs, case studies, and reports — all freely accessible.
events
Where ideas meet the city.
As part of building networks of knowledge, practice, and people, strengthening repositories of knowledge, and deepening public discourse, IIHS engages with a wide range of urban issues through public events.
Lectures, conferences, film screenings, book discussions, workshops, exhibitions, theatre and music performances, and community engagements with schools and libraries—designed to bring together people of all ages and interests around urban questions.
Publics@IIHS
A public lecture and conversation series, a space to communicate new knowledge around the urban
Publics@IIHS
A public lecture and conversation series, a space to communicate new knowledge around the urban
IIHS City Scripts Monthly
Conversations with writers and thinkers making sense of the urban through the written word
campus
Built to be lived in, not just visited.
The Campus, located in the city of Bengaluru, is equipped with state-of-the-art technology to aid collaboration, both in the physical and virtual modes, and demonstrates best practices in campus design and management, as well as resource management.
IIHS,
Sadashivanagar
IIHS, Sadashivanagar is a network of four buildings in Bengaluru, all within walking distance. The Campus is accessible and equipped with technology for conferences and workshops.
IIHS,
Kengeri Campus
IIHS, Sadashivanagar is a network of four buildings in Bengaluru, all within walking distance. The Campus is accessible and equipped with technology for conferences and workshops.
LABS
Innovation and methodological exploration
The Labs at IIHS are spaces of innovation, cutting-edge research and grounded practice, enabling experimentation on knowledge creation and incubation, methodological innovation, and critical skill-building.
JOIN THE MOVEMENT
The future of India's cities
is not written yet.
Join a growing community of researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and changemakers who are shaping what cities can become.