Affordable Housing: Mandate or Mirage?     A Global Policy Lens on India’s Housing Dream Across the world, the promise of affordable housing stands at the crossroads of moral mandate and market mirage. For millions, a home remains more than a shelter — it is a foundation for dignity, opportunity, and safety. Yet, as urban skylines rise, affordability sinks. I. Housing as a Mandate: A Global Right 🌍 The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 11 declares access to adequate, safe, and affordable housing as a fundamental human right — a social mandate, not a privilege. Most international frameworks agree that housing costs should not exceed 30% of household income , a standard of affordability used from the U.S. HUD to the OECD. Nations have taken divergent paths to fulfill this mandate: Singapore’s HDB model combines heavy subsidies, strict ownership rules, and near-universal coverage — over 80% of Singaporeans live in government-built flats. Germany ensures...