Highlighting issues pertaining to urban land use and facilities, the Economic Survey 2025-26, released on Thursday (January 29, 2026) referred to land in major cities as dead capital. “In economic parlance, dead capital refers to assets that are unable to function as productive capital,” the survey noted, adding that such assets are unable to contribute to economic activity due to regulatory or legal constraints, or market inefficiencies. These restrict vertical development and cause outward spatial expansion, thereby creating artificial scarcity in urban areas and driving up land values, the Survey adds. The survey also points to resources for urban optimisation, such as the guidance documents for transit-oriented development (TOD) plans created by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. A second hurdle that makes land “dead capital” is a lack of clarity with regard to land titles, the Survey notes, highlighting that “secure, transferable property rights” are necessary for land to function as capital.