Square Yards report ranks Gurugram most livable city during COVID-19

Square Yards has released its latest report named Suitability Index: The COVID Perspective and this clearly ranks Gurugram as the most livable city out of three premier cities, namely Bengaluru, Mumbai and the Millennium City itself. In a COVID-19 scenario, Gurugram has won the highest rank in livability owing to factors like low population density, more hospital infrastructure and good open area ratios. The study indicates factors like these as key decision drivers for people with regard to their choice of residence during COVID-19 times rather than affordability or proximity to places of work. 

Gurugrams East zone has been ranked as the most suitable zone to live, comprising of Sectors 40-44, 24-27, 30 and 52-56. Although this zone has the second highest COVID-19 cases after the North zone, it wins owing to its maximum hospital count for every 10, 000 individuals, more than 40% of open area and the lowest population density. Bengalurus most suitable area is Mahadevapura with localities like Marathahalli, Bellandur and Devasandra present here. The PN and N wards in Mumbai, which majorly make up the Central and Western suburbs, have been ranked as the most livable during COVID-19. 

Bengaluru has just 0.30 hospitals for every 10,000 people while this is slightly better at 1.3 for Mumbai. Gurugram outshines both cities on this count with a score of 2.5. 13 out of 24 severely impacted wards were in Mumbai with 50+ cases for every 10, 000 citizens. The North and East zones had average cases of 55 per square kilometer for Gurugram while this was more than 200 cases per square kilometer for four out of eight zones in Bengaluru. 

In a departure from common perception, Mumbai has the highest Open Area ratio amongst these cities at 45%. Yet, it is also the most densely populated with 60, 000 people occupying a square kilometer. In comparison, Gurugram has the lowest population density of 4, 200 people per square kilometer. Anand Moorthy, Business Head-Data Intelligence & Asset Management Services-Square Yards, stated that the Suitability Index is an attempt to bring up several non-transaction components to the limelight which may now impact home buying decisions rather than factors like affordability or distance to workplaces. He added that since the new normal will stay for quite some time now, these aspects will influence consumer choices in terms of their residences.