From holiday homes to housing hub: ECR’s residential boom
The East Coast Road (ECR) in Chennai is experiencing a residential transformation as professionals move from the congested city center to high-rise apartments and villas. The shift is driven by a desire for better air quality, less traffic, and proximity to international schools.
Why it matters
It reflects a broader urban planning trend in Indian metropolitan areas where infrastructure development is shifting residential demand toward suburban coastal corridors.
B.S. Raj Narain, founder and CEO of Optima Response Management Pvt Ltd, a digital marketing agency in Chennai, had spent a major part of his professional life living in the city. His work involved travelling extensively to meet clients, but worsening traffic congestion and pollution eventually became too much to endure.
This is when he chanced upon a residential project coming up on the scenic East Coast Road (ECR) and decided to move lock, stock and barrel. “For 25 years, I was a resident in the Vadapalani/Valasaravalkam region and shifted to ECR about a year ago. It has all the trappings of the city without its congestion. The best thing is, I get to see the blue sky once I get up and the air is clean,” says Narain. He moved to Oceanique, a 15-floor, 180-apartment residential complex next to the multiplex Mayajaal.
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