Indians generally spend more than two hours commuting to work daily in metro cities. Road congestion in cities is due to increased vehicular traffic, growing population, poor road infrastructure and under-developed public transportation. The traffic hassles worsen during monsoons owing to poor urban planning and faulty drainage systems. The recent monsoons had brought transportation in Mumbai, the financial capital of India, to a standstill, and left office goers stranded.
The unproductive hours spent on roads cause stress to working professionals as well as disrupt their work-life balance. To address this pain point, developers across cities are introducing the ‘Walk to Work’ culture, where residential buildings are constructed in proximity to commercial buildings. This enables office-goers to save time and money, have work-life balance, and helps in controlling pollution.
Here is a sneak peek on how major cities adapted the ‘Walk to Work’ culture:
Pune
Pune is an early-adapter of ‘Walk to Work’. The Magarpatta city in Hadaspur is spread across 430 acres and encapsulates commercial and residential buildings along with other amenities. It is home to several IT giants like Accenture, Tata Consultancy Services, Syntel, etc. Amanora Park Town in Hadaspur, Blueridge and Life Republic in Hinjewadi and Mantri Vantage, located in Kharadi, are some of the other ‘Walk to Work’ projects.
Bengaluru
Bengaluru, the backbone of India’s IT industry, loses around USD 6.5 billion of IT and BPO revenue annually, due to traffic chaos, according to a report published by Quartz. Many reputed developers have launched ‘Walk to Work’ projects in Whitefield and Hebbal, which are home to various multinational IT firms. Brigade Gateway, the famous ‘Walk to Work’ project in Malleswaram is a 40-acre campus encompassing the World Trade Centre, a 5-star hotel, mall, club, luxury apartments, a hospital, school and a manmade lake. Prestige Shantiniketan, Brigade Metropolis, Salarpuria Sattva Magnificia and Republic of Whitefield are few other such projects in Bengaluru.
Mumbai
‘Walk to Work’ is the need of the hour for the residents of Mumbai. L&T Seawood in Navi Mumbai, Hiranandani Gardens in Powai and Lodha’s New Cuff Parade in Wadala are known ’Walk to Work’ projects with premium apartments, multinational and Indian corporates, schools, hospitals, restaurants, clubs and entertainment hubs within proximity of each other.
Chennai
The Mahindra world city, developed in 2002 in Chennai, is India’s first integrated business city. It is spread across 1,550 acres with product-specific Special Economic Zone (SEZ) along with social and residential infrastructure. Shriram Gateway, an upcoming project, in Perungalathur and Hirco Palace Garden in Oragadam are few such projects.
Hyderabad
After the establishment of SEZ, ‘Walk to Work’ is gaining popularity in this city. K Raheja’s Mindspace West, Hiranandani Upscale and Saivamsee Signature located in Lahari and Gachibowli, respectively, are famous ’Walk to Work’ projects.
In recent times, developers have ventured into co-working spaces, especially in the suburbs, as many organisations are keen to promote the ‘Walk to Work’ culture to increase productivity. Co-working spaces enable employees to work closer to home while accessing efficient office infrastructure.
