Pune Township Properties – The Importance Of Open Spaces
In simple terms, open spaces are areas within a residential project that are not being developed but kept vacant. The developer may turn open spaces into a landscaped green zone or keep them vacant but well maintained. The important thing is that an open space is not built upon in any manner. Why are open spaces so necessary?
Open spaces are very important to residents because they enhance their quality of life. It is a psychological fact that lack of open spaces in a residential project leads to more stress and less overall satisfaction among residents. If there is nothing but concrete to look at when one steps out for work in the morning and returns home in the evening, the only real sanctuary is the flat itself.
Residents living in projects without open spaces feel trapped and without any real choices of what to do with their spare time. Children do not have enough space to play in, which makes them more cranky and demanding. Meanwhile, privacy is compromised and individual families are forcibly thrown together.
Open spaces provide a sense of spaciousness that makes one feel good about living in a neighbourhood that provides them. In a city like Pune, the central areas can no longer provide open spaces because seemingly every square foot is being developed either as a residential or commercial space. Lack of town planning within the PMC jurisdiction has ensured that this trend cannot and will not be reversed in the primary city. The only way of providing open spaces to Pune property buyers today is in township properties in areas like Pimpri-Chinchwad.
Various sociological studies conducted both in India and the West have clearly indicated that uncontrolled development that leaves little or no open spaces for residents is bad for human health, both in a psychological and physiological sense. Air quality decreases significantly in projects with no open spaces, since air cannot circulate properly. This means that polluted air gets trapped between buildings and seeps back into the individual homes. Also, open spaces provide more motivation to be physically active and engage in healthy things like jogging and outdoor play, which has both physiological and psychological benefits.
Good township properties are planned in a manner that allows for plenty of open and green spaces, from which all residents benefit. These open spaces are permanent features, which means that they will not be encroached upon or developed by the builder at a later stage. They are, in fact, part of the blueprint submitted for the project’s approval. In other words, the developer is legally bound to protect and preserve these open spaces throughout the entire life-cycle of the project.
Not surprisingly, township properties with plenty of open spaces also command higher property values than similar properties close to the township. Again, this is because access to open spaces improves quality of life, which is a precious commodity for Pune property buyers today. In the PCMC area of Pune, a number of well-planned townships are coming up in Moshi and Ravet. These township projects offer an abundance of open spaces, apart from recreation centres, gymnasiums and children’s play areas.
Anil Pharande is Vice President of CREDAI Pune Metro and Chairman of Pharande Spaces, a leading construction and development firm that develops township properties in the PCMC area of Pune, India.
