The urgent need for a new urbanisation model in Pakistan cannot be overlooked. To say the existing approach has failed would be far too kind. While it is fair to say Lahore, Rawalpindi-Islamabad, Faisalabad and Peshawar all offer examples of unplanned or poorly planned urbanisation, none of them comes anywhere close to Karachi, the country's financial capital, the largest urban area and a posterchild for what happens when city planning is handed over to people with no plan. The situation in Karachi is so bad that it is regularly ranked among the world's least liveable cities by the respected Economist Intelligence Unit - alongside several war-torn cities, including Kyiv, Damascus and Tripoli.
The existing urban development approach is failing, resulting in deteriorating public services, declining quality of life and reduced economic productivity in urban areas. It is clear that a fundamental shift towards sustainable urbanisation is imperative. The new urbanisation model must prioritise internalisation of economic, environmental and social benefits through robust planning and evaluation, rather than the free for all that takes place even in 'planned cities' such as Islamabad. It is imperative to incentivise investment in inner-city regeneration projects, affordable housing initiatives and development of public and community spaces. Bridging the housing deficit has been a big political talking point, but the actual solutions presented by recent governments have been borderline disastrous.
A holistic, multi-sectoral planning approach is necessary to maximise the social, environmental and economic returns for all stakeholders. This includes reevaluating the allocation of land, capital and labour to create working cities which have accessible employment and entertainment opportunities, markets and commercial areas, and are also pedestrian and public transport friendly. Sustainable urbanisation will not be easy, but it is the only viable option to turn Pakistan's cities into economically viable, socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable urban centres.
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