Integrated school townships – a new imperative

by Sanjay Daga, Chief Operating Officer, Runwal Developers In recent years, the consumer palate for real estate has been revolutionized. Trends have shifted with buyers focusing more on the overall package a new property has to offer, than mere inhabiting requirements. In an attempt to keep up with ever growing consumer demands, modern real estate developers have over time introduced mega structures which provides luxurious amenities, ready to move-in apartments and gated communities with state-of-the-art security and facilities. Changes in these buying behaviors can be attributed to a number of factors, but mainly boil down to the increasingly hectic schedules and higher purchasing power of consumers. Parents faced with demanding work commitments are finding it increasingly difficult to spend quality time with their kids. Small gestures like walking your younger one to school or taking them to a nearby park in the evenings are memories the new generation is deprived of. Moreover, parents constantly face anxiety about their child’s safety when they’re away from them. In order to meet these demands, developers have introduced projects that favor the needs of new budding families and help them nurture their family time. With these objectives in mind gated communities are made kid friendly to help regain the aspect of family time and to reassure parents about their children’s safety. These communities come with parks, recreational facilities, sports complex with training coaches and reputed schools as well. They are also strategically located to have amenities like medical support, temple, convenient retail markets, train stations or bus stops, fire stations and other daily necessities within close proximity. One example of a similar project is Runwal’s MyCity situated in Dombivli. This project has Ryan International- a CBSE & ICSE board school, a sports complex, central greens spread over 15 acres, office space , healthcare facilities, central park with cricket ground , amphitheatre , multipurpose court to name a few. Not only this , but each residential cluster at Runwal MyCity has a clubhouse of its own.. Runwal’s MyCity not only promotes family time, helps parents and kids to unwind but also fosters a better relationship within the community. This enables children develop their social skills at a young age and bring in an age-old culture of ‘Know your neighbour’. Developers are now more in tuned to consumers’ needs and are ever evolving, growing and changing the real estate game by enabling owners with a holistic lifestyle and not just a roof over their heads.