‘As soon as you think you have all the answers, the questions have changed’

Policymakers and developers - which may include govt, semi-govt and private organisations - can be a despotic lot.

Urban planning and design in South Asia is akin to playing hockey, with the proverbial puck having to be dribbled with considerable tact to reach its goal, said architect Nayyar Ali Dada during a session on professional practice in South Asia at the Pakistan Urban Forum’s conference on Friday.

Addressing a scattered audience right after the lunch break, Dada said policymakers and developers - which may include government, semi-government and private organisations - can be a despotic lot. “You may tell a developer a certain building is not required, but he’ll say he has got the budget approved and doesn’t want to give the money back.”



Ratan J Batliboi from India echoed this view. “As soon as you think you have all the answers, the questions have changed,” he said, adding there is often a considerable gap between intent and inception. “The government may want to construct a road to effectively use the expensive machinery it has imported. But the project then is about employing resources at hand rather than the original intent, which was to construct the road.”

Perhaps this is why there is no room for ego in design. “The approach that ‘It is my design and I don’t want to change it’ cannot work. You can be working on something for four years but the developer will then approach you and say he has something different in mind now,” said Batliboi.



Corruption, of course, is an ever-present challenge, requiring endless maneouvering. Batliboi said fulfilling requirements to win a contract can be tricky business because someone who does qualify may be ignored because of his or her inability to stifle the taps through which money flows.

He also highlighted the need to deal with the ‘inside enemy’. “Often in the social sector, there is little money to be made. People within the company then start asking what’s in it for you.”

Fortunately, planners and designers are rarely deterred by such obstacles. As Batliboi puts it, the profession is a gratifying endeavour because of its sheer impact on the lives of millions, or even billions, of people.

Architects Habib Fida Ali and Yawar Jilani also spoke at the session.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 11^th, 2014.