1. Suburbs have come to be independent economic entities
These sibling locations
include communities that
may be large such as Navi
Mumbai or small such as Salt
Lake or spontaneously arisen
such as large tracts of
Ghaziabad, with good urban
planning such as Noida or
without quality infrastructure
such as Gurgaon
Source: Market Skyline of India
Demand Curve
No analysis on the top Indian cities can be complete without a mention of the suburbs around them.
Typically, a suburb is a residential area or community outlying a city such that those living in the suburb
can commute to the main city for their economic needs. Internationally, the term suburb conjures up
images of a relatively unspoilt, less densely populated and predominantly residential community close to
a city. In India, it is difficult to find such conditions. Whether it is Gurgaon, or Salt Lake, we find them to
be economic entities quite independent from the larger city near which they are located.

2. For instance, Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, and Gurgaon are much more
These sibling than mere suburbs of New Delhi. But they are also not large enough to be
called New Delhi’s twins. These are younger cities which may, one day, even
locations include overtake New Delhi.
communities that There are quite a few such locations in India. There is Salt Lake near Kolkata,
may be large such as Navi Mumbai in Thane district, the communities on Bangalore-Hosur and
Bangalore-Mysore routes in Bangalore rural district, Pimpri Chinchwad near
Navi Mumbai or small
Pune, and so on. And there are many more across the country, not as well
such as Salt Lake or known yet, but will be known soon enough.
spontaneously arisen These cities typically fulfil an important need that the larger city was unable to
such as large tracts offer. In the initial phase they may have been unidimensional but over time
they have gained a distinct character and momentum of their own. The lack of
of Ghaziabad, with office space in New Delhi, the lack of new residential areas in Kolkata and
good urban planning expensive real estate in Mumbai have contributed to the growth of Salt Lake,
such as Noida or Gurgaon, and Navi Mumbai. Now all three are more than just real estate
alternatives to larger neighbours.
without quality
These sibling locations include communities that may be large such as Navi
infrastructure such as Mumbai or small such as Salt Lake or spontaneously arisen such as large
Gurgaon tracts of Ghaziabad, with good urban planning such as Noida or without
quality infrastructure such as Gurgaon. Some have a large concentration of
high-income households such as Gurgaon, others like those around Kolkata
Source: Market Skyline of India have a large number of poor, still others such as Navi Mumbai tend to have a
large middle class.
There is only one thing in common between them—they are in the
geographical vicinity of a larger city. And they are increasingly becoming
Demand Curve more important than their older sibling.
Demand Curve is a weekly column by research firmIndicus Analytics Pvt. Ltd
on consumer trends and markets.