Synopsis: While both Gated communities and Townships provide a secure and amenity-rich lifestyle, they are differentiated in few factors. This article discusses the main differences between gated communities and integrated townships, advantages of gated communities, and few examples under both in Bengaluru.
The real estate market in Bengaluru is rapidly changing, and home buyers are now torn on whether they prefer gated communities or integrated townships. These are both safe places to live and come with modern facilities though they’re different sizes, infrastructures, lifestyles, and investments. Awareness of these differences can assist the buyer in making a well-informed purchasing decision.
What is a Gated Community?
Gated communities are neighborhoods that are enclosed by a guarded fence, and access to the area is restricted. It is generally made of apartments or villas or plotted homes, with shared facilities like clubhouses, swimming pools, gyms, parks, children’s play areas and 24/7 security. While these communities offer safe, convenient and community-oriented living, they tend to be surrounded by the surrounding neighborhood for essential services, schools, hospitals, and shopping centres. People living in the communities should come back to the outer areas for other facilities.
What is Integrated Township?
An Integrated township is a master-planned development on a large scale with a scheme of work that can actually be a self-sustained urban ecosystem. It is not only residential but also generally includes schools, hospitals, offices, retail, parks, recreation and other critical infrastructure in the project. Integrated townships make it easier for people to access daily needs because of their convenience, cut down travel time, and the ability to provide a more integrated live-work-play lifestyle. Townships include offices, hospitals, schools, grocery stores, banks, malls, etc along with all the facilities provided by the usual gated communities.
Gated Community vs Integrated Township
Why Integrated Townships Stand Out
An integrated township is a development that brings homes, education, health services, retail and shopping, offices and recreational facilities together in one place. All this decreases the number of trips taken per day, makes life easier and builds a self-reliant community. Their high-quality planning, generous open spaces and long-term development capacity are also a good attraction for end-users and investors.
Also read: How Much Does a 3 BHK Home Cost Near ISKCON Temple Bengaluru? Prices, Top Locations & Projects
Popular gated community locations in Bengaluru
- Whitefield-Densified with several IT housing societies, apartments & villa. Societies offered by developers like Godrej, Sobha, Assetz & Prestige.
- Sarjapur Road-A preferred residential area with multiple gated apartment and villa projects with schools, and upcoming Metro connectivity.
- Thanisandra- A modern gated community with gated access to Manyata Tech Park,
- Electronic City-It is one of the largest residential localities in Bengaluru with many gated communities catering to the employees of the nearby IT campuses.
- Bellandur & HSR Layout-Popular for gated apartment development as it is close to the Outer Ring Road IT corridor
Popular Integrated Township Locations in Bengaluru
- Prestige Shantiniketan,Whitefield- One of the finest integrated townships in Bengaluru, comprising residential towers, office spaces, retail stores, hotels, and recreational spaces.
- Brigade Orchards, Devanahalli- A large mixed use township, featuring homes, a school, sports arena, healthcare facilities and commercial spaces.
- Provident Sunworth City, Mysore Road- Is an integrated residential township with ample open spaces, retail amenities and lifestyle facilities.
- Godrej Park Retreat, Sarjapur Road- A large township development consisting multiple phases with ample community facilities.
Which One Should you Choose?
Homeowners looking for a secure and well-maintained neighborhood with contemporary amenities at a comparatively low cost will find gated communities to be an ideal choice. They are also perfect for young professionals, families with a single nuclear family and first-time homebuyers who are willing to sacrifice the luxury of having everything available within their own neighbourhood and rely on the nearby areas for shopping, schools and hospitals.
Integrated townships are developed for individuals wanting to live a self-sustaining life with homes, work, school, health care, retail, and recreational activities all in the same development. They are perfect for families, long-term residents and people who are willing to invest more for their convenience and complete infrastructure.
Conclusion
Gated communities and integrated townships, both provide a secure, amenities-rich lifestyle environment that serves differing needs. Gated Communities emphasize on comfortable living in a limited area while Integrated Townships are more of an ecosystem of its own with a broader scope of services and infrastructure. In the end it all depends on budget, lifestyle, commute to work, and the long-term investment plans.
