The world is now looking at India as the hub for integrated townships. This is evidenced in the upcoming inaugural conference on Integrated Townships in Mumbai.Date: October 12-14, 2011Venue: Hyatt Regency, MumbaiOrganiser: Marcus EvansIntegrated townships are fast assuming huge popularity amongst Indian real estate players looking at the Indian realty space. The residential real estate space has already witnessed explosive growth and supply in the past decade, primarily fuelled by the growing demand in key metros and tier I cities.London-based conference organiser, Marcus Evans will be organising India's first conference on Integrated Townships at Hyatt Regency, Mumbai from October 12-14, 2011. The event is also supported by the National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO).IndustryspeakAccording to Venkat K Narayana, Chief Financial Officer, Prestige Estates Projects, Integrated township projects are slowly gathering steam as the concept of walking to work is picking up amongst city dwellers. As a township project integrates residential, commercial and retail properties, this is the next phase of growth in the real estate industry. However, he pointed out that developers with considerable experience in the commercial and retail verticals would have an edge.Mujib Mundewadi, Associate Director, Ceres Capital & Financial Services added, With the real estate industry having evolved substantially since the allowance of FDI in 2005 and having witnessed two down cycles - one post the Lehman crisis and the other in the current times - this event (Integrated Townships in India) presents a great opportunity for think tanks in the industry to mull over defining a sustainable road map for the future.Theme of the conferenceAimed at the burgeoning population community in the metros, this two-day conference will be based on the theme of 'Developing self-sustained integrated townships by spearheading innovation through cost-effective building materials, faster construction technologies and speedier approval and funding mechanisms'. It will be a platform to address the the challenges and issues of urban planning for an emerging market like India.This conference that could well mark the beginning of such intitiatives on Integrated Townships in India will gather more than 80 of India's top town planners, heads of projects, planning and development all under one roof.Focusing on legislationThe forum will also look at the pressing issue of government approvals and clearances for project townships, exploring various options and technologies to deal with the scarcity of natural resources and infrastructure, new construction techniques to help speed up construction time and highlight a few important case studies related to a well established township plan.Personalities galoreStudded with personalities from the ministry and construction industry, keynote speakers at the event will include Nisha Singh, Joint Secretary for Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India; IP Gautam, Principal Secretary for Ministry of Urban Development & Urban Housing Department, Government of Gujarat; Sangeeta Prasad, Chief Executive Officer, Mahindra World City; Boman Irani, Chairman & Managing Director, Rustomjee; and Lalit Kumar Jain, Chairman & Managing Director, Kumar Urban Development.About the organiserMarcus Evans is one of the world's biggest conference organisers with offices in over 30 countries worldwide. As a world leader in business events, the company holds over 1,000 summits, congresses, conferences and training courses per year.