Paposh Nagar was created as a plot settlement in 1954 for migrants from India. It was designed as 417 plots of 38.5 square metres each. The houses consisted of two rooms, a kitchen and a toilet. However, over time they have grown and many of them are now ground plus one to ground plus three structures. The residents have also increased the size of their plots by encroaching on the roads. These were planned as 3.6 to 4.2 metres wide but today are only 1.2 metres. Secondary roads have also decreased to half their original size. The density of Paposh Nagar is about 1200 persons per hectare.

Schools and clinics in the settlement are all private enterprises. Many of the houses are spacious and well ventilated. The residents are a mix of working-class and white-collar workers. They are teachers, drivers, maids, paramedics, tailors and beauticians. If there had been a formal organisation to monitor the development of Paposh Nagar, encroachments on the roads would probably not have taken place and densification would have been accommodated in building upwards.

The remodelling suggests that careful management of such growth could have created a denser but still uncongested and pleasant settlement. The remodelled density is 1653 persons per hectare.

More information on Paposh Nagar is presented in a working paper available for downloading.