The architecture and regional planning department of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, along with the International Association for Housing Science, is organising a world congress on housing science in Calcutta in November.

The congress, from November 3 to 7, will have participants from across the globe and focus on urban development and urban environmentalism.

“This is the right time to hold a congress like this in Calcutta, since the real estate industry is developing fast,” said Joy Sen, an associate professor in the department of architecture and regional planning at IIT Kharagpur.

An exhibition at the congress will showcase the changes that have taken place in the real estate sector in Bengal.

“We can see a tendency to move away from highrises towards estates where condominiums and highrises co-exist. The interiors of the houses are also changing,” said Sen.

The conference will also deal with issues like the effects of globalisation on housing and innovative finance schemes. According to the organisers of the congress, housing finance is poised for a boom with the entry of big players into the market.

“Our urban constructions don’t have the barrier-free concept. There are no ramps on roads and in other constructions. The cities should adopt the ‘green psychology’ of the rural areas,” said Subrata Chattopadhyay, the convener of the conference.