Palava

Actual aerial view of completed developments at Palava today

Palava is an under development 4,500 acres township by the Lodha Group in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The city is expected to house over 100,000 families and create approximately 350,000 jobs through its business district and commercial developments.[1]

The first phase consisting of 18,000 residential units is nearing completion.[2] Lodha World School and a preschool, sports facilities and training academies, including a cricket ground, a football stadium and a golf course are already operational at Palava.[3]

Palava incorporates intelligent technologies and global best practices in urban planning. Lodha group recently announced its partnership with IBM to build and manage Palava’s smart city infrastructure. There are over 5,000 families already living in Palava.[4]

Current Progress

The development of Casa Bella, Casa Bella Gold, Lodha Golflinks, Lodha World School and Pawar Public School are completed. Properties that are under development are Casa Rio Gold, Casa Rio, mall, multiplex, fire station and a hospital. Other social infrastructure developments include convenience retail zones with Pharmacy, clinics and grocery stores. Also each sector has its own club house i.e. Casa Bella, Casa Bella Gold, Lodha Golflinks, Casa Rio and Casa Rio Gold. Lodha Group recently hosted Palava Tarang, a festival celebrating arts and culture. The festival was held at the recently built Rio Amphitheatre at Riverside Promenade in Rio.

Sports Facilities

The township will have an Olympic sports centre with facilities for sports such as badminton, tennis, squash and swimming. A FIFA approved football ground has been built where coaching from IOT-Arsenal Soccer Schools has begun. Palava also has a flood lit cricket ground with a program to be run by Cricket India Academy. A fully completed 9-hole golf course conducts training for golf enthusiasts from GolfNext academy.

Open Spaces

60% of the area in Palava is dedicated to open spaces. Out of which 25% consists of parks, recreational grounds and playing fields.

Connectivity

Palava is located in the economic triangle of Navi Mumbai, Thane and Dombivli and is in close proximity to the rapidly expanding business hubs. The city is 10 minutes from Dombivli, 20 mins from Navi Mumbai and Thane. The area is already seeing major road upgrades such as the widening of Badlapur Road, infrastructure upgrade around Mahape and other MMRDA projects in the area. Palava city is aligned with the government’s development plan to ensure integration with local land use and transportation systems.

Criticisms

So-called smart cities, like Palava, have been criticised by academic and author Pramod Nayar as being “more fortresses than places of heterogeneous humanity, because they are meant only for specific classes of people”.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "IBM to provide smart city tech for Lodha Group's Palava project". 11 June 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  2. ↑ "Lodha Group set to launch 2nd phase of mega city project in Mumbai". 9 January 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  3. ↑ "Lodha Launches ‘Palava’ - The City of Opportunity". 10 January 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  4. ↑ "Second phase of Palava City project to commence soon". 9 April 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  5. ↑ "Is India's 100 smart cities project a recipe for social apartheid?". 7 May 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2016.

External links

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