Managing megacities: Karachi — a film that is yet to end

Arif Hassan believes future of city lies in regional geopolitical situations

KARACHI: It's like a film going on. We don't know the end.

Urban planner and architect Arif Hassan said this while talking about the future of Karachi at an international conference titled 'Managing Megacities 2016' organised by Karachi University (KU) public administration department and the Shar School of Public Policy and Government, George Mason University, United States, at HEJ Auditorium in KU.

According to Hassan, the future of the city lies in the regional geopolitical situations and Karachi's relations with the Sindh province.



Until 1947, said Hassan, Karachi was a Hindu-majority and Sindhi-speaking city. After 1947, the port city turned into an Urdu-speaking, Muslim-majority city. It became the very first airport of British India, he said, adding that the Karachi port was the headquarters of the British Army during the First World War. He talked about how the ruling party of Sindh, Pakistan Peoples Party, took control of very important departments of the city, including transport and building control, soon after taking over the Sindh government, resulting in an increase in the problems of the city.



Talking about a highly decentralised local bodies system being pivotal for the city's progress, he said that 62% of the city still lives in unplanned settlements, known as katchi abadis, while 1,730,000 motorcycles ply on the roads of the city.

Turkish professor Dr Tuzin Baycan from Istanbul Technical University spoke on the 'Transition towards a post-carbon city: Istanbul 2050 and Roadmap', saying that Istanbul is the only city in the world connecting Asia and Europe. "It's the heart of the world," she said, adding that the city has 53 universities and Turkey's national air carrier, Turkish Airlines, is the number one airline of Europe. According to her, problems of Karachi and Istanbul are relatable, which is why a comparison can be made between both the megacities.



George Mason University's Dr Rashmi Sadana discussed the transportation system of Delhi. She termed the Delhi Metro as a great saviour for the middleclass of the city. From young students to people related to any walk of life, she said, everyone benefited from the Delhi Metro on a daily basis. "Delhi has the worst pollution [as compared to] any city in India," she said, adding that it is largely because of vehicle emissions and material from building construction.

Speaking on the occasion, KU vice-chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Qaiser said that the megacities of the world face serious challenges. The policy recommendations of the conference, he said, will be sent to the government and policy-making institutions for implementation.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 21^st, 2016.