India, June 9 -- Urban India has certainly reached a point, where the old construction playbook is no longer enough. For years, real estate has been driven by speed and scale. Deliver more, deliver faster. That model suited an earlier phase of demand. Today, the problem is different. India's urban population is expected to approach 675 million by 2035. Pressure on land, water, infrastructure, energy systems, and ultimately, on quality of life is going to increase. The next phase of urbanisation requires building differently and with conscience.

When Scale Becomes a Risk

India is expected to add 600 to 800 million square metres of urban space every year until 2030. At this scale, inefficiency becomes a city-level risk. Outdated construct...