Are the CBDs really losing out as the benchmark of economic activity in the major cities of India? Well, if only Gurgaon business destinations as against Connaught Place or Nehru Place in Delhi-NCR are any indication, or if only BKC and Navi Mumbai as against Nariman Point in Mumbai is any indication, then the CBDs have lost a significant ground by all means of reputation and economic scale.
As Central Business Districts (CBD) begin to gradually lose their sheen against alternative locations because of their inability to offer Grade A buildings at competitive rates, retrofitting emerges as a preferred option (as compared with redevelopment) for quality improvement to increase the attractiveness and economic life of existing old buildings.
The CP story is very old, one that spans about 50 years or more. It was NCR’s central business district (CBD). It is still probably the CBD. But office space in CP is stagnated. The new business districts such as Cybercity, GCR, Aerocity and GCE are growing at a rapid pace, meeting an enormous demand for commercial office space. Now, it’s a tale of two cities- Delhi and Gurgaon.
If the CBD of a given city is losing its sheen, there can be only two diametrically opposite reasons – one, the economy of the city is collapsing and the other is that the city has created many new centers of economic activity.
n recent times, the cities that have attracted sizeable investments due to hectic economic activities in and around the CBDs and SBDs have rather managed to take the concept of the business districts to the next level of Peripheral Business Districts (PBDs). Times Property takes a look at the Coimbatore city to understand the dynamics of business districts and the growth prospects ahead.
Delhi-NCR has until now witnessed a similar trend, Bangalore and Hyderabad are fast catching up on this trend as well The study also indicates that tenants are moving from traditional Central Business Districts (CBDs) like Connaught Place in Delhi and Nariman Point in Mumbai to emerging alternate new business districts in Gurgaon and Bandra Kurla Complex, respectively. As a result, with rising vacancies, rentals across CBDs have been witnessing a decline.
Bangalore-based Nitesh Estates plans to grow its commercial & rental assets to more than 5 million sq. ft. of space in the near future. This includes locations in the central business districts and significant micro markets of Bengaluru. Nitesh Estates will develop and acquire A-Grade commercial & rental assets with an investment of around Rs. 1500- crore across multiple projects.
Track2Realty Exclusive: There are very few property markets across the country where the developments have been holistic. Some have grown as the residential zones, while others have developed as commercial zones. Even in commercial segment certain markets are known as retail markets while the rest of the markets have more office spaces. The locations close to the Central Business Districts (CBDs) get to see a few hospitality projects. Navi Mumbai, however, defies this growth pattern of the property market.
Till the ‘90s and even early years of the last decade, commercial real estate was being built as just another asset class to be leased out to entrepreneurs who would start or expand business as and when required. Most office buildings were largely built in the central business districts of various cities, functioning primarily as the central node where most of the commercial activity of the city took place.
Asia Pacific Office market report by Cushman & Wakefield – that compared the rental values of Central Business Districts (CBD) across Asia Pacific – ranks NCR as the 5th most expensive CBD location in the region while Mumbai – CBD ranked 10th most expensive location in APAC. Traditionally expensive office destinations of Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo (continued to hold the top three positions respectively.