Buying a house is an important life decision. There are several considerations one needs to take to finalize their dream home. Here, the buyer has a choice between a standalone building and a township, a gated community. A standalone building has very few or no amenities whereas a well-developed township offers a plethora of advantages – a great community, better quality of life at affordable prices, great infrastructure along with a wide range of amenities and facilities, well planned spaces.

It’s akin to a mini-city where the campus is self-sufficient and caters to almost all the daily requirements of its residents without them having to go outside the campus. Many of the integrated townships also incorporate commercial centers, schools and even hospitals.

Ingredients to a successful township project

• Integrated urban area: An extremely well-planned township makes use of every single piece of land or area by converting it into a multi-functional area. For example, a lake could be used as a retention pond while also adding to the beauty of the landscape. Good quality homes come nicely packaged with a landscaped environment, well-though building layouts, wide roads and spaces for leisure and entertainment.

• One-stop-shop for all your needs: There are several community recreational areas like parks, sports fields, multi-purpose courts and swimming pools that encourage good health and lead to close bonding between residents. Apart from this, townships will also contain shops catering to all your daily essential needs and even have facilities like an ATM and medical center. Live with the best of amenities and lead a healthy and comfortable lifestyle.

• State-of-the-art security features: Safety and security is taken care of through patrolling at multiple checkpoints, smart access system and efficient CCTV surveillance cameras with central monitoring. Thus ensuring complete peace of mind.

• Sustainable and green living: Modern integrated townships are also becoming environment friendly with sustainability initiatives, which in the long run can help minimise carbon footprint. Common features in a township include expansive green cover, rainwater harvesting, sewage treatment, usage of solar energy, provisions of e-bikes or cycles as a mode of internal transport, among many others.

Live-learn-work-play: Newer townships being constructed are also incorporating commercial, industrial zones, thus providing work opportunities at a walking distance from home. Several of these township projects are also build closer to large industrial estates or software parks. This concept is a hit, especially in Mumbai where travel time gets reduced drastically. Similarly, you will find schools within the township or in close vicinity which saves up on time on an everyday basis. Many of them will also incorporate multiplexes, retail outlets or malls.

• Palava by Lodha Group, is one such integrated live-work-learn-play city, spread over 4,500 acres and home to over 1 lakh people. With a range of international standard facilities including office buildings, world-class educational institutions, high-quality sports facilities, a mall, a high-quality pedestrian friendly environment, grand clubhouses, community spaces and more, the city offers a lifetime of exceptional living.

Zeroing in on your home in a township

Before you take that step of purchasing your dream home in an integrated township, here are a few things that you need to consider.

• Choose a builder with a good track record: Since townships are large scale projects, it’s important to check whether the builder has the capability to complete and maintain the project. Look at their track record of delivering large scale projects. Ensure they have the necessary approvals/clearances for the project.

• Connectivity to the rest of the city: Owing to their size, townships are generally developed on the outskirts, enquire about the travel/mobility options provided. An ideal scenario would be if it were in close proximity to main highways.

• Easy access to basic facilities: See if the project provides basic facilities like grocery stores, banks and medical facilities. This will ensure you won’t have to venture out of the development to avail the same.

• Lifestyle amenities for quality living: Find out what the township has to offer. Don’t get tempted with the wide range of amenities, instead see what fits your need and requirement. Also, check the completion plan for each amenity. Not all of them may be available right at the start.

• Additional benefits at your doorstep: Several townships include schools, hospitals and also commercial spaces which offer employment opportunities within the premises.

• Partnerships with service providers will provide added value
  When shortlisting a township, one important factor to consider is the tie-ups and partnerships in terms of service providers. For instance, developers may have tie-up with professional wellness player to manage the gymnasium or tie-ups with health clinics to facilitate basic health care.

• Approved municipal support: Ensure that the project has been approved by the local municipal authority for municipal facilities such as water, electricity and sewage disposal from the very beginning.

• Towards a sustainable future: Give it the green signal if it has features like lawns and gardens, rainwater harvesting, sewage treatment, use of solar energy and adopting efficient ways of reducing pollution.

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