This study, encompassing examples from the complete range of existing dwelling environments in Ahmedabad, India, emphasizes physical aspects of housing and attempts to provide an understanding of existing housing conditions for lower income groups. Several issues emerge from the case study material. Looking at population data, the urgency of the dwelling needs of this large section of the population demands a substantial increase in housing supply. However, with the limited financial resources of the public sector, traditional modes of low-income mass housing seem impossible. Other alternatives, such as site and services projects for squatters, have also usually failed due to their poor location away from employment centers. A partial solution to the problem of housing provision seems to lie in proper development of infrastructure facilities, design of more efficient physical layouts for communities, and comprehensive planning that supports indigenous settlement patterns. Furthermore, efforts to reduce rural-urban migration must be continually emphasized.