The City is fast growing skywards

Apartment spaces

The apartment culture is here to stay. With most open spaces giving way to high-rise apartment complexes, the City’s skyline has changed forever. Watching the pace at which the City is expanding, looks like it has little alternative but to grow skywards.

The modern day nuclear families, where both husband and wife work, find apartments the most convenient form of living. With the disintegration of joint families, more and more families find it hard to maintain large independent houses. The convenience factor has also swung the pendulum to the apartment way decisively.

Besides, security is of utmost concern. Apartments may not have the luxury of space or an open ground where kids can run about. There isn’t as much greenery as independent houses would have. But the advantages outweigh the negative factors.

There are people to clean up, you only have to pay the maintenance. Your electricity and water bills are taken care of. It’s not so with independent houses where you have to run errands yourself.

Metrolife interacted with a few families who have been living in apartments and asked them why they preferred an apartment. While security topped the list of preferences, convenience and easy maintenance were just a few of the other points cited by those living in apartments.

Although Lynesse Coutto grew up in an independent house, she moved into an apartment soon after her marriage. Lynesse reasons that there’s a notion that apartments are not homes, it’s cold unlike independent houses. “I moved into Bangalore from Mumbai which is a city of apartments. I know what it’s like to maintain an independent house. In an apartment, maintenance is taken care of and so are your water and electricity bills,” says Lynesse. However, there isn’t enough space for kids to play. “We take our kids to a nearby park where they can play,” says Lynesse.

Sunila G Benjamin, a market researcher, says an apartment is ideal for working couples. “There’s ample security. It’s just that you don’t really have a green patch as it is in independent houses and of course, you can’t really keep pets, maybe a fish tank or a few birds at the most,” says Sunila. In an effort to ensure that Sunila’s daughter doesn’t miss out on her share of playing, she takes her to parks and to play tennis.

Indira Chawla, a housewife thinks apartments are inevitable in an urban setting. “You have to buy land, which is scarce in the City, to build a house. Apartments are readily available. You just have to choose the right one. While older people wouldn’t really settle in for an apartment, the younger people prefer the security and convenience of an apartment,” Indira points out.