The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The Royal Government of Bhutan, through the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MoIT), is in the final stages of completing the National Housing Strategy (NHS), a comprehensive framework designed to make homeownership more accessible and affordable for all Bhutanese, both in rural and urban areas.
According to MoIT Secretary Karma Wangchuk, the forthcoming strategy will operationalize and strengthen the National Housing Policy 2020, with aims to promote affordable, inclusive, and sustainable housing development, while ensuring that every Bhutanese family has access to safe and adequate shelter aligned with the country’s Gross National Happiness (GNH) philosophy and sustainable development goals.
One of the central components of the strategy focuses on revitalizing rural settlements by promoting the reuse and rehabilitation of vacant rural homes (gungtongs).
The government plans to transform these underused structures into community assets through a mix of concessional loans, grants, and tax rebates.
Such initiatives, the MoIT Secretary noted, will not only help preserve traditional architecture and cultural heritage but also stimulate local economies through adaptive reuse for eco-tourism, senior housing, and cooperative living projects.
To further strengthen self-built housing, which remains the backbone of rural home construction, the NHS proposes to expand access to housing microfinance, encourage the use of local and sustainable materials, and provide technical assistance to improve building quality and resilience.
The strategy is currently under review by relevant government agencies to ensure alignment with national priorities, fiscal sustainability, and institutional capacity.
The initiative is supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under the Green and Resilient Affordable Housing Sector Project (GRAHSP), which aims to strengthen Bhutan’s capacity to build climate-resilient, inclusive, and affordable housing systems.
ADB’s Technical Assistance (TA) 6858, worth USD 1 million, is funding various components of the housing initiative.
Of the total, about USD 150,000 supports the finalization of the NHS, while the remaining funds are allocated for the development of a Housing Management Information System, technical support to the National Housing Development Corporation Limited (NHDCL) on safeguard compliance, as well as the formulation of homeownership schemes, condominium management guidelines, fire-resilient building codes, and green building guidelines.
The ADB’s technical support will continue until November 2026, providing sustained assistance as Bhutan moves toward achieving housing affordability, resilience, and sustainability across all dzongkhags.
