Kochi, also known as Ernakulam, is described as one of India’s fastest-growing cities and ranked fifth among 20 selected Smart Cities to receive infrastructure funding. Economic development is attracting professionals, and residential demand is rising year on year. Builders from Ernakulam and across Kerala, including Thiruvananthapuram, are developing apartments, flats, villas and independent houses for homebuyers and investors.

Location affects property prices and value. Marine Drive and M.G. Road command premiums for backwater views and developed infrastructure; Kakkanad and Vyttila offer budget apartments and villas. Central locations with good connectivity are valued above the outskirts. Ernakulam has educational institutions offering professional courses, hospitals, healthcare professionals and dispensaries. Thevara and Ravipuram are described as uptown areas, while Kakkanad and Edappally are budget locations with healthcare options and apartments and villas for sale. The city has malls, cafes, parks and museums, and is close to Kerala tourist destinations.

E Sreedharan proposed an urban ropeway from Fort Kochi to Maharaja’s College via Mattancherry and Willingdon Island in a letter to KMRL’s managing director. He said ropeways can carry 5,000–6,000 passengers per hour, suit roads too narrow for metro construction and cost about one-third as much as a metro. He recommended that KMRL’s technical director study systems in Varanasi, Bolivia and Mexico before deciding on a third metro line.

Sreedharan called the proposed Aluva–Angamaly extension via Nedumbassery undesirable, citing competition from a new Southern Railway station at Nedumbassery Airport and a proposed DMRC high-speed rail link from Tripunithura and Palarivattom to the airport. The latter would take 10 minutes and cost around ₹100. He instead suggested an elevated metro from Aroor to Varapuzha via Edappally along the National Highway bypass. He said Delhi Metro’s airport link carried over 60,000 passengers but was not operationally profitable, despite DMRC funding civil and track works; KMRL would face a major financial burden. A copy of his letter was sent to the Transport Department secretary.

Residents say many Kochi zebra crossings are placed away from busy intersections, beside bus stops, without footpath access, or obstructed by utility poles and transformers.

• At Thoppumpady, a crossing beside the bus station for Ernakulam-bound vehicles puts pedestrians in front of waiting buses and blocks motorists’ views. Hundreds cross daily; a schoolgirl recently narrowly avoided being hit. Residents seek a traffic signal or traffic police deployment.
• At Pallimukku Junction, a crossing is about 15 metres behind the traffic signal. Traffic queues can cause vehicles to cross it as the signal turns red; there is no signal timer, and a transformer blocks the footpath connection towards Ravipuram. Police fine vehicles stopping on zebra lines.
• Near Changampuzha Park, a crossing on a curve beside a bus stop is hard for motorists to see, and buses may stop on it.
• Lisie Junction’s crossing has no footpath opening and is difficult for approaching drivers to see.
• Edappally Lulu junction handles around one lakh pedestrians daily, but lacks a timer.

The 26km Edappally–Moothakunnam NH 66 corridor is being expanded to six lanes using a hybrid design: 12km follows a new alignment, while 14km widens the existing two-lane highway. The new alignment straightens sharp curves and bypasses congested urban bottlenecks, including North Paravur. The old 14km stretch from Koonammavu will be handed over to the Public Works Department (PWD) roads division as a state highway after construction is completed. Along the existing route, the right-of-way will expand to 45m. The PWD will assume responsibility for upkeep.

The ₹1,618-crore six-laning of the 26.03-km NH-66 stretch between Edappally and Moothakunnam is progressing steadily, with NHAI targeting completion in August 2026.