‘Ideas, not iconic structures, should be identities of cities’

ANNUAL KARACHI CONFERENCE

Arif Hasan says state needs to take radical
steps for urban land reforms  

The need to implement rural land reforms is discussed time and again, but what remains a matter of less attention is the need to propose urban land reforms, renowned architect and activist Arif Hasan said on Saturday.

Karachi, the multicultural city plagued by diverse issues, will become uninhabitable for millions of people if the state does not take radical steps, Hasan continued during his presentation on ‘Urbanisation Trends in Karachi’ on the second day of the 4th Annual Karachi Conference at the National Museum of Pakistan. The conference ends on Sunday.

The radical steps he proposed included limiting an individual’s land ownership to 500 square metres, putting an end to land speculation, and, at least, building houses on the thousands of acres lying vacant in the peripheries of the megalopolis.

Hasan said Karachi had been caught in numerous problems, and instead of making essential decisions to provide basic facilities of affordable housing and adequate transportation to its inhabitants, the authorities were trying to hide behind slogans of neoliberalism.

“Our officials even don’t know the philosophical meaning of neoliberalism. They have just learnt a few slogans like ‘it is not the business of state to do business’ and ‘cities are the engine of generation’.”

He added that the theory was being forcefully implemented without appreciating the ground realities of the country.

The architect said Karachi, which was generating 20 per cent of the GDP and 60 per cent tax for the country, was being exploited at the hands of capitalists who were giving a false impression of building high-rises as so-called iconic structures for the city. “Ideas should be identities of cities, not iconic structures.”

Talking about the KPT fountain, he said the officials had claimed to build the world’s largest fountain as an iconic structure for the city, but after its construction it turned out that the fountain was the second largest.

“Not only did the tall claim fall flat, but the fountain doesn’t function anymore. This is because the governments are now answerable to the international investors instead of their own citizens.”

He lamented that economic migrants in Karachi were now seen sleeping on footpaths and under bridges in a considerable quantity, which had not been the case in the past.

“We used to say proudly that Karachi is not Mumbai; it shelters economic migrants and they are not compelled to sleep on footpaths. The scene, unfortunately, has changed now.”

  Influx of migrants

Hasan said Karachi had seen a huge influx of migrants during the past decade. “Around 1 million new houses are urgently needed, but it is not possible. Even if the government takes radical steps, only around 25,000 units could be built in a year.”

He added that around 32 per cent of the population in Karachi was living in informal settlements. “People prefer to live in small houses nearby in Karachi rather than in the peripheries, as it’s quite difficult to travel to the city for educational and economic activities.”  

Transport woes

The activist said that even if the mass transit master plan 2030 was completed on time, the transport issues of the city could not be solved completely.

“Commuters consider it as transport penalty to first travel in public transport to the mass transit station to catch the bus.”

He called for starting a metro train service and demanded tax cuts on import of motorbikes. Quoting a survey, he said 56 per cent of the women wanted to ride motorbikes if they were permitted.

Talking about the ban on Qingqi rickshaws, he said that though the vehicles needed modification in design to reduce the risk of accidents, the ban had deprived thousands of citizens from a viable transport facility.

“If the risk factor was the only issue for the ban on Qingqi rickshaws, minibuses would also have been banned, as they are as dangerous as those rickshaws, but these buses are allowed to operate despite being unfit to ply the roads.”