Navin Kumar – Chennaionline

The Hindu Real Estate Summit 2026 brought together industry leaders to discuss Chennai's evolving real estate landscape, emerging growth corridor, and the future of urban development. Mr. Navin Kumar, Managing Director of Navin's, participated in a panel discussion on Beyond the City Limits: Why Peripheral Chennai is Becoming the New Investment Destination. The event's chief guest was Thiru B. Rajkumar, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Government of Tamil Nadu. Speaking at the summit, Mr. Navin Kumar highlighted how consumer expectations of premium living have evolved. "Every generation has expanded Chennai's boundaries. There was a time when even Mylapore and West Mambalam were considered the city's periphery. As aspirations and quality of life improved, people naturally sought better amenities, thoughtfully designed homes and a superior lifestyle," he said. Emphasising the importance of innovation in home design, he noted that developers must adapt to changing lifestyles. We continue to experiment because home design is constantly changing. In one of our projects, we reduced the kitchen size to reflect changing food habits, while in another we introduced flexible multi-purpose room that homeowners can use as a workspace, studio or hobby room. Homes today must adapt to people's evolving lifestyles," he added. Mr. Navin Kumar also observed that younger homebuyers are entering the market earlier than previous generations, with lifestyle, convenience and proximity to workplaces emerging key purchase drivers alongside affordability. Speaking on Chennai's urban development, he stressed that sustainable growth depends on stronger execution of infrastructure plans and the timely implementation of master plans. He emphasised that long-term planning, improved public transport, better drainage systems and resilient infrastructure should take precedence to support the city's future expansion while ensuring that ecological preservation is not compromised. The fellow panellists were Mr Jerry Kingsley, Head of Research, India & City Lead for Capital Markets, JLL Chennai, Mr Habib W S, Managing Director, RWD, Mr Gautam Agarwal, Chief Operating Officer, Casagrand, Moderated by Ms Sangeetha Kandavel, Senior Assistant Editor, The Hindu.