It is often quoted that a population the size of Faisalabad moves to Pakistan’s large cities every year. This movement of people continues despite the fact that the ability of these cities to absorb new entrants has decreased over time. The development of supporting infrastructure in these cities has failed to keep pace with runaway population growth.
There is a strong consensus on the fact that the country needs planned and managed urbanisation or else it will end up in disaster. The future cities have to be livable, clean, green, smart and economically vibrant. The growth shall also be integrated and not just in one or two sectors as is the case in many instances. Urban planning experts say different sectors shall go proportionately just like different organs of a human body. If legs grow and arms remain short, the body will lose symmetry and the person will look ugly.
To discuss different challenges of urbanisation and seek useful suggestions, a mega event named Pakistan Urban Forum was organised in Lahore last week by The Urban Unit, a subsidiary of Planning & Development Department, Punjab. The third of its kind, the forum brought policy makers, practitioners, students, government servants, architects, town planners, media personnel, students and general public to the venue. The purpose was to highlight ideas and ongoing efforts to improve the state of urban Pakistan.
The good part was that the interactive sessions were held in a highly conducive environment and the panelists and the participants were free to appreciate or criticise the government’s policies related to urban development.
The sessions were planned around issues such as urban governance, urban economy and policy, urban planning, growth and development, urban services and infrastructure, urban living, urban energy and urban environment. However, the utility of the whole exercise was frequently questioned, in the light of the fact that the concept of participatory development process is almost extinct in Pakistan.
Dr Nasir Javed, CEO, Urban Unit, agrees there are problems with urban development in Pakistan but hopes that the increased interest of the public will go a long way to improve the situation.
He says that the fact that 39 international speakers, 149 speakers from within the country and more than 8,000 registered participants have attended the 36 sessions of the forum over five days shows that people are serious about this issue. They want to know how their cities are being played and tell how they shall be.
There is a duplication of role, something that has led to flaws in urban planning. Explaining his point, Javed says that in Lahore they are seeing a parallel and same role of the Lahore Municipal/Metropolitan Corporation, LDA and the Cantonment Boards. Besides, he says, there is hardly an implementation on the land use and zoning rules. This is something that needs to be addresses at the earliest.
Major observations during the forum included that regarding the over concentration of urban population in fewer cities of Punjab including; Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, and Gujranwala. It was observed that developments are taking place in a haphazard and exploitative manner that bodes ill for the economy in so far as agricultural land is being converted for real estate operations, housing projects and industrial estates that, even though needed, should not be permitted to swallow fertile fields.
It was also observed that nobody in Punjab’s Revenue Department has ever considered making an inventory of fertile agriculture land lost to housing and industrial projects.
Besides, a push was made to make the political elite realise that the transition from agricultural to urban polity means more urban voters. Therefore, they shall focus more on urban issues to get their support.
Dr Mehtab S. Karim, Research Professor at the School of Public Policy, George Mason University, USA and President, The Metropolitan Institute Karachi, Pakistan gave a very informative presentation on Karachi. He told the audience that from a small town in 1941, Karachi’s population has grown by 20 times since 1951, whereas that of Lahore has grown by 12 times.
Karachi, he said, has grown more rapidly due to excessive internal migration.
Karim quoted a 2013 report of the US magazine Foreign Policy that had termed Karachi "the most dangerous mega city" in the world. He said that from 2000 to 2010, the city’s population had grown more than 80 percent that was "roughly equivalent to adding more than New York City’s entire population in just a decade."
Despite these demographic changes, Karim said, there has been a gross failure to understand market demand for public transport. Karachi is the only mega city in the world without a mass transit system.
Dr Shabbir Cheema, Director, Asia-Pacific Governance and Democracy Initiative, East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii urged the need for local participation in decision-making with accountability attached. He said that in India, the 73rd and 74th amendments to the Constitution have specified the roles to be played by community-based organisations, and women in local governance. In the Philippines, the Constitution upholds the right of Community Based Organisations (CBOs) to become directly involved in governance.
Though myriad problems were discussed at the event, shortage of residential land, skyrocketing prices of the land available and encroachment and land development for profits high were the main issues encountered by the urban populations in Pakistan.
Talking to TNS, Dr Saeed Shafqat, Founding Director of the Centre for Public Policy and Governance, FC College University, hailed the event as a great effort on the part of The Urban Unit to open such important issues to public debate and get feedback with an aim to improve things.
"This shall be more helpful when urban planning is done on the basis of specialised research and empirical data," he said. "What happens at the moment is that policies are made at a different level and research at a different and participatory approached is not followed. I hope things will change fast and people will have a say in matters directly affecting the quality of their life."