Proper Town-Planning Before High–Rise Projects

Gulam Zia Executive Director - Valuation & Advisory, Retail & Hospitality Knight Frank India. Approval by the government of Gujarat on construction of high rises above 70 floors needs to be implemented with caution. Skyscrapers are considered to be a sign of prosperity and hence many communities put up high rises as landmarks for their cities. However, high rises come at a steep cost and locations where real estate values are not high enough the cost of construction itself may render the concept unfeasible. Of course there are these cities or localities that are landlocked and have no other alternative but to go vertical. Finally, vertical development also puts immense pressure on the physical infrastructure of the locality which includes roads, transportation, water supply, waste disposal, etc. A city needs to first plan and execute the public infrastructure before allowing vertical edifices. Mumbai is a case in point where such high rises were created before putting up the right infrastructure which has created unprecedented pressure on infrastructure including roads, drainage systems etc. The five cities of Gujarat therefore need to be cautious before indulging in the rat race to go higher and engage in proper town- planning prior to sanctioning high – rise projects.