There has been a notable change in the skylines of various cities in India over the past 10 years. The shift is credited to mixed-use development real estate, which integrates residential spaces with commercial, retail, leisure, and cultural spaces, all in one project. The outcome is a self-contained ecosystem allowing residents to work, socialise and shop all in one area.
Many realtors are willing to take on the challenge of breaking the borders of sandunes as they are sure to construct a sustainable, engaging and connected urban area from previously empty land. The shift from standalone malls and gated residential colonies to mixed-use areas is a significant improvement in urban planning.
For developers, mixed-use projects maximise land use, increase profits, and make neighbourhoods more resilient to economic ups and downs. Forward-thinking realtors are filling this void by adapting under-utilised spaces into vibrant, eco-friendly urban places that are walkable, bringing the convergence of these trends to neighbourhood life, in the process, rethinking the way cities are planned.
Apartments in a mixed-use development certainly take more land to construct than a freestanding apartment. Factors such as increased convenience of lifestyle and consumer satisfaction are more than plausible, as is a more optimised profit for the developers.
The introduction of mixed-use projects, on the other hand, radically improves this vocabulary. They serve multiple functions within a single, concentrated block, especially in the mini-metro cities of Pune, Kochi, Indore and Ahmedabad. These cities are growing at the fastest rate and need to utilise space vertically to satisfy the needs of an aspiring younger workforce that desires easy access and connectivity.
Testing grounds
Mini-metros can be at the forefront of this shift. Unlike megacities such as Mumbai and Delhi, they are not constrained by urban legacies and are adopting integrated townships more quickly.
Consider Pune. Hinjewadi and NIBM Annexe regions show high demand for integrated office, retail and residential projects set in green and leisure-rich environments. Unlike the “doughnut” monolithic centres of the 2000s, today’s mini-metro skylines are evolving toward polycentric “sustainable” hubs with seamless transport and multifunctional design.
Malls are no longer the centrepiece of urban consumption. They are now reconfigured and incorporated into mixed-use developments where the retail floor is only one layer in a stack of boutique offices, cultural spaces, or co-living units.
This transformation has been fuelled by the growth of e-commerce. Malls are now seen not as shopping venues, but lifestyle centres that draw circulation from residents, office workers, and visitors. This integration provides resilience to shifting consumer behaviour.
Challenges on the horizon
These unchecked promises come with a price, and for mixed-use projects, the price comes in the form of blurred regulations, and rising costs of housing against poorly implemented urban planning, which is the sparse and urbanising infrastructure.
Among India’s urban transformation, mini-metros are the most advanced. They are proving that growth and livability are no longer mutually exclusive. Integrated environment thinking is a target to which these cities are aspiring. It sets a new standard for megacities with traffic problems and outdated infrastructure.
Mixed-use developments do not solely pertain to real estate projects. It is a step towards a rethought approach towards real estate.
They signify the evolution of malls from merely centres of consumption to lively, vibrant districts that properly define the mixed-use centres of the future.
Drivers behind the shift
Many reasons are behind the increased implementation of mixed-use projects:
Changing preferences: The professionals in the younger age brackets — millennials and gen Z — prefer working around different lifestyle and entertainment opportunities. A unit located directly above a co-working office and attached to a retail level with a fitness centre and sky lounge amenities works exceptionally well.
Economic land use: The ever-increasing cost of land has compelled developers to design for multiple uses in a single plot to increase their returns.
Regulatory assistance: Concentrated development remains responsive to zoning changes that offer more options to combine different land uses.
Low carbon development: Reducing long commutes and private vehicle use keeps carbon emissions down.
The writer is director, Kadamashree Developers India LLP.
Published – November 08, 2025 11:41 am IST
