Dense, minimum-cost urban housing dominates South Asian cities, and much of it performs poorly under thermal load. This paper synthesizes existing field-study and engineering literature to quantify how heat enters low-cost urban dwellings in India and to evaluate which passive cooling interventions produce measurable, reproducible indoor temperature reductions. Drawing on peer-reviewed field trials, government reports, and simulation studies, the review finds that roof-level interventions deliver the largest single-point gains: reflective coatings lower peak indoor temperature by roughly 1-5°C, and combined coating-plus-insulation retrofits achieve 6-13°C reductions over uninsulated metal sheeting. Wall material substitution and improved ventilation contribute smaller but meaningful gains, roughly 2-4°C and up to 3.9°C respectively, with ventilation also cutting discomfort-hours by 22-78%. Findings are organized within a conduction-convection-radiation framework and weighed against cost-accessibility for low-income households. The central conclusion is that no single retrofit suffices alone; the largest, most equitable gains come from layering a low-cost reflective roof with a modest ventilation upgrade.
Passive Cooling, Thermal Leakage, Low-Cost Urban Housing, Thermal Comfort, Cool Roofs, Natural Ventilation, Heat Transfer, Energy Efficiency, Informal Settlements, South Asian Urban Climate.
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