Gurugram’s Green Revolution: How Low-Rise Homes Are Redefining Urban Luxury

By Surender Kaushik

Gurugram, April 30, 2025: Often in the shadows of the city’s skyscrapers, one comes across an oasis of low-rise residences surrounded in the thick of greenery. Its diminutive proportions feel welcoming, and for a large section of homebuyers, it feels aspirational and the ultimate source of independent living. For developers like Aryan, this isn’t just a trend—it’s a homecoming to Gurugram’s roots, where open skies and earth-friendly living take precedence over concrete jungles.

The numbers speak plainly. Industry reports reveal that inquiries for independent floors and boutique low-rise societies now dominate two-thirds of residential demand. It is a stark testimony that despite the popularity of high-rise apartment complexes with all the bells and whistles, low-rise development continues to exhibit its distinct pull. They want to step outside and feel the grass under their feet.

What’s driving this pivot? For one, plots, traditionally, have always been India’s No. 1 choice when it came to choosing their dwellings. However, as plots got scarce, independent floors and later low-rise residential projects came to dominate their preferences. As town planners and real estate developers started offering apartment-like common facilities inside gated low-rise residential projects, it turned them even more aspirational.

Transfomational lifestyle and prestige factors are contributing to the growing popularity of greenscape low-rise living. Projects boasting green surroundings and eco-friendly designs are commanding a premium in the real estate market as they promise a healthier lifestyle and a better quality of life. As they create a refreshing environment, it has become a key attraction in new low-rise projects.

Policy tailwinds further amplified this shift. The Haryana government’s erstwhile Deen Dayal Awas Yojana (now withdrawn), which promoted affordable low-rise housing, has dovetailed with Gurugram’s infrastructure boom. Moreover, a recent policy change that permitted an independent registry of floors made investing in low-rise even more lucrative. Further, the Dwarka Expressway’s completion and the upcoming Metro expansion have made peripheral sectors like New Gurugram and Sohna Road hotspots for these projects. Meanwhile, subsidies for IGBC-certified green buildings have turned sustainability from a buzzword into a baseline.

The financial calculus is equally compelling. Unlike high-rises, where maintenance fees balloon with elevator repairs and facade cleaning, low-rise societies operate leaner. Often, the monthly charges are 40% lower than comparable high-rises—a detail that resonates with cost-conscious buyers. Resale value adds another layer of appeal. Besides, low-rise properties depreciate slower because they’re perceived as timeless. A well-maintained independent floor in a green society can command premiums even a decade later. And most of all, offer a significantly higher return on investment.

Millennials, now the largest buyer group, are reshaping demand further. Many, having endured lockdowns in cramped apartments, prioritise hybrid workspaces, open spaces, clubhouses, swimming pools and commercial spaces—amenities that have come to become an intrinsic part of low-rise layouts. Consequently, low-rise real estate developers are designing societies where every home has ample open spaces and opens to a green area.

In a city racing toward the future, the popularity of low-rise in the millennium city, Gurugram, is a reminder that sometimes, progress means staying close to the ground. Savvy home buyers understand this, and exhibiting ample green-scaping, it is their top choice when it comes to investing in residential real estate.

The author is Founder & Managing Director ARIPL