Mumbai Leads, But Indian Cities Lag in Global Vertical Growth Race

The main drivers of tall skyscraper construction are rapid urbanisation, population density, and economic expansion. Although some Indian cities are already experiencing a vertical ascension, they are not yet on par with other global capitals.

A building must rise at least 150 meters to be considered tall. Of the 123 tall structures in India that are finished, 102 are located in Mumbai alone. According to a global ranking compiled by the US-based non-profit Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), India is ranked 12th.

The height standards for tall and ultra-tall structures are established by CTBUH. Buildings that climb 300 meters or more are considered super-tall.

With 3,320 tall buildings, China tops the CTBUH list. The US comes in second with 902 tall buildings, including 318 in New York City alone. At 828 meters, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai is the highest structure in the world. The 300.6-meter Lokhandwala Minerva in Mumbai is the only one in India that qualifies as super-tall. However, India is still ranked seventh in Asia, behind nations like Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines, even with the recent rise of towering buildings.

According to American economist Jason Barr’s most recent book, “Cities in the Sky: The Quest to Build the World’s Tallest Skyscrapers,” “having the tallest building in the world says we have arrived on the global scene more than anything else.”

“A global beacon for American entrepreneurial and engineering prowess… and other cities seek to imitate its magic by erecting their version, be it the Shanghai Tower, the Burj Khalifa, or Taipei 101,” he writes of the iconic Empire State Building, which stood as the tallest in the world from 1930 to 1971. The vertical rise in India’s cities “is exactly where we would predict it to be,” based on the country’s per capita GDP.

However, Barr noted that India is “yet to employ them (tall buildings) in the same manner as other Asian countries like the UAE, China, or Malaysia.” Mumbai spearheaded the vertical boom in metropolitan India, where the increase in population, wealth, and topographical constraints necessitated the construction of high-rises.

Mass mobility in Indian cities is seriously hampered by the exponential rise in private automobiles brought on by densification. Cities are frequently flooded and water-stressed in the same year due to civic mismanagement and catastrophic weather events. Water shortages and power outages are also frequent.

To guarantee that urban growth, whether vertical or horizontal, does not turn into a liability, these problems must be fixed.

Source: Hindustan Times 

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