The attempt to solve urban housing problems has created what can be best described as ‘suburban residential areas.’ Modern urban living can attain lifestyle status only in integrated townships, which are not mere condominiums or apartment complexes.
Thirty years back, when I was growing up in the staff quarters allocated to Central Government officers, I did not have a clue to lifestyle living. We stayed in two BHK flats, that had white-washed walls, huge dome-shaped fans that hung from high ceilings, a kitchen that had a built-in coal ‘chullah’ and a look that resembled factory-line production. The exterior walls got a fresh coat every alternate year, the fans were taken down and oiled annually, and the interior walls were painted once in every five years (fashionably referred to as lime wash). All this, the government paid for. We had the government maintenance system; a complaint had to be registered for a leaking tap, a faulty cable or a loose hinge. Services were pretty good. Within 24 hours the job was done and the complaint closed. We had our own medical facility in the form of doctors and dispensary.
Looking back, I recognize a feeble attempt to employ certain facilities that are features of what we today refer to as ‘integrated townships.’ My friends who stayed in individual houses or the private flat schemes, complained about maintenance issues, non-existent security, and other aspects of daily living. Today, in an attempt to solve the gap between land availability and increasing population of the urban areas, condominiums and apartment complexes have mushroomed across metros and the first and second tier cities of the country. However, the planning for such residential areas has ignored the most important issue of infrastructure, thus reducing them to mere suburban residencies. With increased purchasing power, changing concepts of lifestyle living and availability of world class facilities, we are not satisfied with mere houses but nurture the dream of homes that are complete in all aspects of desirability, whether aesthetic, functional, or sustainability. The solution today is an integrated township and the good news is that this solution is available and affordable in your city today!
Having said this, the best way to describe an integrated township is ‘a living area that is self-contained in terms of basic infrastructure.’ For example a social infrastructure that includes community life, recreational facilities and medical facilities. Water and electricity supply and management, telecom services and linkages through a proper network of roads are essential requirements. Garbage and waste management, sustainable use of water and energy, shopping, entertainment and food courts complete the picture. Today such an integrated town ship has come up in Nagpur. Are you there?
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