Challenges in the city

According to some media reports, Pakistan generates 95 percent of its total federal tax revenue from its 10 major cities. The average urban per capita income in the country among the 10 cities varies between Rs37,000 and Rs70,000. The growth in urbanisation has been caused by internal migration, influx of refugees coming from areas affected by natural disasters, economic disparities in rural areas and decline in the agriculture sector. The big cities need to better plan and manage their development to handle the urbanisation challenge and meet the demands of their residents.

There is a need for prosperous cities to be more responsive towards the environment and adopt technologies and economies that are less wasteful. Adapting to climate change is the need of hour and developing climate resilient cities and infrastructure is imperative as the delivery of basic urban infrastructure and utilities are not adhere to pace with rapid urbanisation.

Khan Faraz

Peshawar