Urban Planning concepts and urban development in Pakistan

1. Hammad Hayat Khan
BS. Geography, University of Karachi.
MS. Urban and Regional Planning, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi.
Ph.D. Research Scholar, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi.
URBAN PLANNING

2. “A vision without a plan is just a dream. A
plan without a vision is just drudgery (dull
work). But a vision with a plan can change
the world.” - Proverb

3. WHAT IS URBAN ?
• As per 1999 Census Report of Pakistan, an Urban Place
is a Place, where:
• Population exceeds 5,000 persons
• Majority of population is engaged in non-agricultural
pursuits
• There exists some sort of municipal / local government
set up

4. • ‘A method for doing something’; or
• ‘An orderly arrangement of parts of an object’.
• ‘A process of human forethought and action based upon
that forethought;
• ‘Maximization of limited resources’
• For Ex: Future Planning, Event Planning etc.
• Planning involves the creation and maintenance of a plan.
WHAT IS PLANNING ?

5. • Planning with a spatial or geographic component
• General objective is to provide for a spatial structure of
activities (or of land uses)
• Better than the pattern that would exist without planning
• Also known as ‘physical’ planning; ‘spatial’ planning
• Urban planning / town planning / city planning / town and
country planning
• Focus on the built environment
• Often seen as ‘good’ and ‘bad’
WHAT IS URBAN PLANNING ?

6. WHAT IS URBAN PLANNING ?
• Urban planning or city and
regional planning, is a
dynamic profession that works
to improve the welfare of
people and their communities
by creating more convenient,
equitable, healthful, efficient,
and attractive places for
present and future
generations.
(Source: American Planning Association)

7. WHAT DO PLANNERS DO ?
• Professional planners help create a broad vision for the community.
• They research and design
• develop programs
• lead public processes
• effect social change
• perform technical analyses
• Some planners focus on just some of these roles, such as
transportation planning, but most will work at many kinds of planning
throughout their careers.
• The basic element is the creation of a plan.
• Planners develop a plan through analysis of data and identification
of goals for the community or the project.
• Planners help the community and its various groups identify their
goals and form a particular vision.

8. IMPORTANCE OR URBAN PLANNING
• “The importance of the urban
planner is increasing throughout
the 21st century, as we begin to
face issues of increased
population growth, climate
change and unsustainable
development”.
• “An urban planner could be
considered as a green collar
profession.”

9. • Environmental protection is also one of the reasons why
companies offer urban planning services.
• Sustainable infrastructure is one of the reasons why most of the
urban areas are seeking the services of urban planning
companies.
• There is need for urban areas to implement effective plans that
aim to make the urban areas more conducive for human
occupation.
• Urban planning aims at reducing some of the problems such as
pollution that is usually caused by human activities.
• One of the importance of urban planning is to enable correction of
mistakes that had earlier being made in the design of urban areas.
IMPORTANCE OR URBAN PLANNING

10. URBAN PLANNING & PAKISTAN
• In Pakistan, because of continuously dwindling land holdings
and the exponential rise in population, the majority of the
people are migrating from the rural areas to the cities.
• The UN estimates that at present approximately 35 per cent of
Pakistanis live in “urban areas”, and in another ten years, more
than half the Pakistanis will start residing in these urban areas.
• So, Is there a Plan for future to accommodate the influx of
population moving towards urban area?
• In Pakistan, there is no co-ordination between Planning
Agencies.
• Poor Urban Planning is visible in mega cities of Pakistan like:
Karachi, Lahore, Hyderabad ….

11. THE URBAN SCENE IN SINDH
• Urban centres play a key role in economic, social, cultural and
political growth and development.
• However, the urban scene in Sindh is chaotic.
• Development schemes have been in abundance, but disjointed
uncoordinated and haphazard.
• Sindh has never developed a provincial urbanization policy.

12. UNBALANCED URBAN PROFILE OF SINDH
• Karachi & Hyderabad population: 15 & 3 mill., resp.
• Population of 3rd largest city, Sukkur: 300,000
– 2% of pop. of Karachi & 10% of pop. of Hyd’bad.
• Population of Larkana, Nawabshah and Mirpurkhas: 200,000+
• Population of Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Khairpur, Dadu, Tando Adam
and Tando Allahyar: 100,000+
• Combined population of 10 cities = 1.9 million
– less than 15% of pop. of Karachi & two-thirds of pop. of Hyderabad.
• Total pop. of 33 secondary cities/towns = 3 million
– less than pop. of Hyderabad.

13. Sindh's Urban Population:
Top 12 cities
Sindh’s Urban Population:
Lop-sided distribution

15. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
“WE DO NOT INHERIT THE EARTH FROM OUR
PARENTS, WE BORROW IT FROM OUR CHILDREN”
– KENYAN PROVERB
• “SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IS THE DEVELOPMENT
THAT MEETS THE NEEDS OF THE PRESENT WITHOUT
COMPROMISING THE ABILITY OF FUTURE GENERATIONS
TO MEET THEIR OWN NEEDS”
Source: Brundtland Commission, 1987.

16. COMPONENT PARTS
 Sustainable Development can be
broken down into:
 Environmental / Ecological
sustainability
 Economic Sustainability
 Social / Socio-Political Sustainability
 United Nations refers to “Economic
Development, social development
and environmental protection” as
“interdependent and mutually
reinforcing pillars” of sustainable
development

18. THANK
YOU
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