Shelter in India, presented for the first time the argument (just after the 1987 Bruntland Commission report) that shelter was much more than just a basic need but a powerful integrating concept to enable sustainable national development. It presented evidence based on a 35 year review of policy that formal rural and urban housing programmes in India had limited impact and house building by people was the dominant mode of production. Hence, if change was to be implemented both the state system and the private sector would need to provide infrastructure, resource, institutional and technological support to a people and community led activity.