Located across Pune, this is a home upgrading project run by SSNS under the Basic Services to Urban Poor (BSUP) scheme, in which the local government provided 90% of project funding for an affordable housing programme, with the homeowners required to fund only the remaining 10% (approx. INR 30,000).

The project was an outcome of continued negotiations with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in which the criticisms and issues surrounding existing upgrading schemes in Pune were challenged. The PMC’s slum upgrading strategy at the time was focused on using BSUP funds for relocation of slum communities. PMC initially sought the assistance of SSNS in relocating 4,000 households to new sites out of the central city. Both the local politicians and the communities refused to shift as they did not believe that the relocation would fit their needs. Instead, new homes were constructed on the plots that residents were already living on, ensuring that the community remained intact and that residents weren’t moved long distances from their existing schools and workplaces.

Pune 1’s design, planning, and construction process was led by the local Women’s Federation, Mahila Milan. The community played an active part in the design and layout of homes, which were developed in clusters to promote affordability.