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.

Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) has set August 2027 as the revised completion target for Phase II, from Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kaloor to Kakkanad SmartCity. Its review covered land acquisition, track laying, station construction, electrical systems, lifts, escalators, signalling, telecommunications and automatic fare collection installations, as well as revenues and hiring.

A Kerala government order dated September 28 approved changes to Kochi Metro Rail Limited’s Water Metro network. The 2021 Detailed Project Report planned 38 terminals on 15 routes; six deletions reduce the count to 32, and the new Nettoor terminal brings it to 33.

The dropped terminals are Aster, Amritha, Kothad, Thevara, Cheriyamthuruth and Mulavkad Panchayat. Reasons include navigational and operational constraints, unavailable land, proposed bridges and low patronage. Thevara’s removal raises concerns about direct connections from western islands, including Kumbalam and Edakochi, to mainland Ernakulam.

Nettoor is planned on the Edakochi-Kumbalam-Nettoor-Thykkudam-Vyttila corridor as a feeder for Kakkanad-Infopark commuters and to help ease NH-66 congestion. Land has been acquired; no CRZ clearance or additional state liability is required. Construction must remain within the approved allocation. KMRL must amend the DPR and says suburban expansion plans will not be affected.

At a District Development Committee meeting on September 28, 2026, Collector G Priyanka said an urgent inspection team would be formed to address homeless people gathering in public spaces and children begging at traffic signals across Kochi. It will include Corporation, Police and District Child Protection Officer representatives; subsequent action will follow. MLA T J Vinod raised the issue and called for urgent resolution of water scarcity in Vathuthala, Cheranalloor, Pachalam and Ayyappankavu. MLA Uma Thomas urged swift completion of land acquisition for the Athani bridge near the Collectorate. The Collector directed City Police to investigate congestion caused by illegal parking between Collectorate Junction and IMG Junction. ADM K Manoj, Sub Collector Granthe Sai Krishna, DFO O P Karthik and District Planning Officer T Jyothimol also attended.

On September 23, 2026, 44 kilometres of international-standard head-hardened rails arrived in Kochi for the 11-kilometre Kochi Metro second-phase line from Kaloor Stadium to Kakkanad Infopark. Jindal Steel Limited manufactured the rails at Raigarh, Chhattisgarh. KMRL representatives, general consultant Systra and inspection agency RITES supervised manufacturing and quality checks. Texmaco Rail Engineering will construct the track, and Prime Rail designed it. With track alignment designs and preparations complete, construction of the second corridor has entered a crucial stage, KMRL said.