Larger and denser

Karachi is on way to become the world's fifth largest city in 2050, according to the United Nations, with a population of 33 million. And that's no good news for a city that is already named by The Economist among the 10 least liveable cities of the world for a variety of reasons, including violence, terrorist threats, natural disasters, poor civic infrastructure and economic vulnerabilities.

The report by the UN titled World Urbanisation Prospects 2025, says that by the mid-century Karachi will overtake Egyptian capital Cairo (projected to be 32 million strong), Japanese capital Tokyo (31 million), China's Guangzhou (29 million), Philippines capital Manila (27 million), and India's Kolkata (24 million). While the world's most densely populated cities currently have 20,000 inhabitants per square kilometer, Karachi is far ahead, with 25,000 people per square kilometer.

That the world has become increasingly urban goes without saying, with reports saying that cities in 2025 are home to 45 per cent of the world's 8.2 billion people as against just 20 per cent of the world's 2.5 billion in 1950. And Karachi — being the financial capital of Pakistan and the country's most modern city — is among the places that continue to experience influx from all corners of the country. And this despite the city being dubbed the crime and terror capital of the country.

It's no revelation that higher population and higher density means both severer and newer problems. With the available resources already stretched thin, there is need for policymakers to come up with measures to at least slow urbanisation if not stop it completely. Such measures should include developing rural areas by investing in rural infrastructure; promoting employment opportunities locally; upgrading education and healthcare facilities; improving utility services like electricity, gas and public transport; and devising eco-friendly policies for waste management and resource conservation.