Breathing Uneasy – Housing Choices Amid Worsening AQI

akash pharande

 By- Akash Pharande, Managing Director – Pharande Spaces

The problem of rapidly worsening air quality in India has a direct correlation to our housing choices. Increasing urbanization, industrial proliferation, and population growth are causing more and more homebuyers to prioritize the quality of their living environments.

Urban Centers – The Worst Hit

Indian city centres face severe air pollution threat:

  • Heavy Traffic – The congested city centres with high population and traffic density contribute significantly to vehicular emissions.
  • Industrial Pollution – Proximity to industrial zones with obsolete or nonexistent pollution control measures worsens air quality.
  • Urban Heat Island Effect – The concentration of buildings and human activities in cities leads to higher temperatures – which, in turn, escalate pollution levels.
  • Lack of Green Spaces – The absence of parks and green areas in densely populated urban regions makes natural air filtration impossible.

pollution

A Shift Towards Cleaner Surroundings

Many suburban areas with lower population density and more green open spaces offer relief from urban pollution. Planned cities, like Chandigarh, Navi Mumbai and PCMC (Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation) showcase the effective separation of residential and industrial zones, improving overall air quality for all concerned.

In the absence of planned development, many suburban paradises are at risk. Rapid real estate development will eventually turn green sanctuaries into polluted urban-like environments.

Exploring the Solution – Integrated Townships

To tackle this issue, the Indian residential real estate sector has introduced integrated townships as a solution that can withstand environmental challenges.

  • Captive Green Spaces – These townships prioritize green open spaces like parks and gardens to create an environmentally sustainable environment.
  • Reduced Vehicle Emissions – Because they incorporate schools, shops and recreational facilities within their precincts, townships reduce overall vehicle movement.
  • Sustainable Infrastructure – Initiatives like rainwater harvesting and waste recycling promote eco-friendly living practices.
  • Combating Urban Heat Islands – Development plans for townships include extensive green areas, tree-lined streets, natural or artificial water bodies, and renewable energy sources to combat heat accumulation. By securing these advantages, integrated townships ensure that the area remains eco-friendly – now and in the future.

breathing

Tips for Prospective Home Buyers to Avoid Air Pollution Risks

  • Begin by examining air quality data for different regions. This information is often accessible through environmental monitoring agencies or online air quality indices. Check websites that offer real-time air quality updates to evaluate current atmospheric conditions.
  • When selecting locations, consider the presence of green spaces. Look for areas close to parks, reserved forests, and other open green zones, as they result in better overall air quality. Don’t choose a home in a project too close to a highway or an industrial zone, or prone to traffic bottlenecks. Also note that elevated areas often offer better air quality because heavy pollution smog primarily settles in low-lying areas.
  • Evaluate the condition of roads and public transportation as this will determine how much emissions accumulate in an area. Do internet research and check news to review the area’s infrastructure and future development plans to anticipate changes that could impact air quality.
  • When checking out a home, find out if it has adequate cross-ventilation and good green home features. Energy-efficient homes typically provide better air quality thanks to their sealed and insulated environments.
    You can, to some extent, enhance indoor air quality by using indoor plants. But this is obviously a very minimal solution to a major problem

In conclusion

With air quality playing an important role in home purchasing choices, buyers must prioritize features that ensure a clean and healthy living environment.

By picking the right location and project, you can protect your and your family’s well-being and still enjoy the conveniences of modern life. Opting for integrated township living is a wise decision amid rapidly declining air quality in urban India. In any case, make any housing with a lot of research and awareness about air quality.

And remember – the clean environment you get in a currently green but quickly developing suburb may not be guaranteed tomorrow. Ensure that your loved ones can breathe freely – not only today but also in the future.

About the Author:

Akash Pharande is Managing Director – Pharande Spaces, a leading real estate construction and development firm famous for its township projects in Greater Pune and beyond. Pharande Promoters & Builders, the flagship company of Pharande Spaces and an ISO 9001-2000 certified company, is a pioneer of townships in the region. With the recent inclusion of Puneville Commercial into one of its most iconic townships, Pharande Spaces taken a major step towards addressing Pune’s current and future requirements for fully integrated residential-commercial convenience

Groundbreaking Initiative: Green Ride Bengaluru Revolutionizes Urban Mobility

Green Ride Blore

Bengaluru March 7th, 2024- Green Ride Bengaluru, a pioneering initiative in sustainable urban mobility by CiRE (Corporates in Real Estate), is set to make its launch on March 1st, 2024. The campaign with a vision of “Making Bengaluru more commuter-experience friendly” is offering a revolutionary solution to the pressing mobility challenges faced by the commuters of Bengaluru.

As one of the most congested cities in terms of traffic, Bengaluru has long grappled with issues of pollution, increased commute times, and overall urban mobility inefficiencies. CiRE sees this as a window of opportunity to bring in a strong corporate force together to facilitate change in the urban mobility system in Bengaluru. The campaign is scheduled to run for 6 months and intends to recognize and award corporates, corporate-tech park owners, and start-ups who have facilitated the use of public transport, last-mile connectivity practices, provision of shared electric transport, adequate supplementary infrastructure, and necessary policies for enhancing sustainable mobility usage by employees for their commute. These five award-focus pillars go beyond just creating awareness about sustainable mobility but rather initiate the much-needed change within the corporate commute.

On a wider vision, Green Ride Bengaluru Campaign, CiRE aims to elevate the overall livability of the city encompassing environmental, economic, and social parameters of development. However, the plan is to not do this alone but in collaboration with partners from government, academic institutions, developers, planners, corporates, and citizens to ensure a successful outcome. The city of Bengaluru thrives on innovation, with CiRE we believe in driving innovation basis collective efforts across all bodies of real estate.

Jayaram S. Govindaiah Founder CiRE said, “Mobility in today’s world is all about creating a positive environment across the ecosystem by reducing footprint of carbon and related emissions. Sustainability is of paramount importance to our future generations and CIRE is at it to create and deliver sustainable solutions across India”.

Era Chaturvedi Co-Founder of Green Ride says, Bengaluru paves the way for a sustainable urban future, with better footpaths, enhanced last-mile connectivity, increased EV charging infrastructure, and dedicated cycling paths. As our cities swell with urban life, the duty for greener cities isn’t a collective burden but a personal commitment we each embrace

Aditya PS -Chairman of CiRE said, “I see mobility as a societal equalizer, bridging gaps and fostering inclusivity. Our Green Ride Bengaluru campaign champions sustainability, aiming to make a greener future accessible to all. It is a transformative shift towards sustainable, equitable urban living, setting a precedent for collective action”.

The Green Ride Bengaluru campaign of CiRE is being supported by B.PAC, IISC, and Future ICT Forum as its key strategic and implementation partners. Sumadhura Group who are also the sponsors to this inititiave– Mr G. Madhusudhan, Chairman and Managing Director said, “We are committed to leading the way in sustainable practices which are consistent , viable and give long lasting positive impact to our environmental footprint.” Happy to support Green ride Bengaluru that brings key stakeholders together to engage for an actionable green mobility which is much needed in our city.

Prof Ashish Verma (IISc – Sustainable Transport Lab) (IST Lab.) states that – “Through Green Ride Bengaluru, our combined goal is to bring long-term changes towards sustainable mobility by recognizing and inducing sustainable mobility practices among corporates in Bengaluru, who have a large collective footprint in terms of their travel activities. For IISc Sustainable Transportation Lab, Green Ride Bengaluru is another mode of translating our research on sustainable mobility into practice”

Smt Manjula Vinjamuri, Chairman, Karnataka Appellate Tribunal, and Director-General, Administrative Training Institute, Mysuru. (Prior – Commissioner, DULT) said, “The Green ride movement is an open invitation to Bengaluru’s corporate sector to partner with like-minded organisations, and bring about a transformational change in the way Bengaluru moves for work. Bengaluru’s corporate sector is known to be innovative, and deeply engaged with civic issues. They have been part of trail-blazing initiatives such as cycle2work. I am hopeful that they would join this initiative and nudge their employees to move from private to public transport”.