smartcybers786@gmail.com 
#urban #planning #dilemma #Political #Economy
Topophilia, a word I recently discovered, means love or emotional relationship with a place. This word makes many Pakistanis associated with their cities. Ask Lahore about their hometown, and their eyes are bright when they describe the greatness of the kingdom mosque at sunset. Mention Karachi to their residents, and they will deliver you to Burns Road, where the scent of the scent of kebabs and the aroma of fresh nun tells stories about the spirit of the city.
Nevertheless, under this cultural dynamic, our cities face growing pressure. Citizens of Pakistan are spreading at incredible pace. It is no surprise that South Asia has the highest rate of citizenship in this country. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics has found that 40 % of the country’s population now lives in urban areas. According to the UN Development Program estimates, half of the country’s population will soon be living in their cities.
Rural citizens are transforming the metropolitan areas into mega cities, spreading both population and geographically. People from rural areas are rapidly moving to cities due to social and economic pressure and climate change risks.
Although citizenship is sometimes celebrated as a sign of development and development, the rapid expansion of cities brings new challenges with it. From extensive resources to housing crisis to environmental collapse and criminal activity – the list is wider. In many cases the development and spread of a city is without central planning.
The change in this population follows a clear model, which is driven by economic disparity between urban and rural Pakistan. The economic magnetism of mega cities like Lahore and Karachi makes itself a strength. These citizens receive irreparable funds compared to the adjoining districts, drawing waves of rural migrants attracted to employment opportunities in rural areas.
As the population is swollen, the city’s resources are pressured under pressure. The shortage of water supply, electricity and housing becomes more common. This produces faster, short -term solutions, which cost more than a strategic plan.
Traffic crowds give an example of this crisis. In major cities, daily travel increases every year as roads are rapidly dense. The default reaction has occurred to put more concrete: wider roads, long bridges and deep underpasses, often at the cost of the city’s green places.
Historical trees have been prepared for road expansion projects along the canal road of Lahore and the old palaces of Karachi. Despite billions of spending on these infrastructure projects, the crowd remains intact and often worsens. What the cities of Pakistan really need is a fundamental change towards sustainable urban planning, which prefers the needs of society.
Instead of continuing this cycle of expensive road expansion, the World Bank advocates an alternative approach through transit -based development (TOD). This strategy re -evaluates urban spaces around the effective networks of public transportation, preferring large -scale transit systems as well as walking and cycling infrastructure.
By connecting the economic centers and residential areas around the transit stations, TOD offers many benefits such as traffic crowds, low pollution levels, improved movements and strong local economies. When people are designed around people instead of cars, the cities become more accessible, durable and live. An IGC report reveals that with the introduction of the transit line in Lahore, the use of public transportation among passengers in nearby areas has increased by 24 %, of which about 35 35,000 passengers are public. Transit has turned into a city – in which it is shown that residents choose public transport if it is available to them.
Since the population is swollen, the city’s resources are under pressure under pressure, water, electricity and housing shortages are becoming increasingly common. This creates a quick, short -term solution rather than a strategic plan. Traffic crowd exemplifies this crisis.
Beyond infrastructure and sheep, the cities of Pakistan are more subjected to the influence of urban hats but the same serious threat. Although the effects of climate change dominate environmental debates, this local trend of cities that trapped and sharpening heat has gained less than deserving focus.
Evidence shows that urban centers in Pakistan record a permanent temperature per permanent than rural areas, it is a disparity that puts pressure on the public health system, hinders economic activity and residential standards. Reduces life. For example, in Islamabad, residents explain the “spring spring” experiments, as winter temperatures rise, and traditional rainfall samples turn dramatically.
Historically, Pakistan has reacted to environmental challenges, only after the problems became intense, the most surprised, showing the most surprise that an active point to stop this problem in the first place Why not look. However, the urban heat crisis needs immediate prevention action before our cities become more unbearable and turn into a “oven during the summer”.
The solution is to restore our urban landscape through the green infrastructure, the approach that works in harmony with the natural ecosystem. This means that only the existing trees have to move beyond the existing trees to develop the cities with the strategy of urban forests and green places. Well -designed parks, gardens and green roofs convert urban areas in many ways. They produce natural cooling zones, create jobs in environmental sectors, and improve the welfare of the community as a whole.
Some cities are starting to recognize and tackle these environmental challenges through policy intervention. In 2023, the Capital Development Authority of Islamabad took an important step in response to the shortage of ground water, making it a significant step for all housing units to make rain water harvest wells compulsory.
Through rainwater harvest wells, consumers will not only use stored rain water, but will also help recharge the group water supply.
Despite its reputation as Pakistan’s first planned city, Islamabad’s rapid growth has overwhelmed its original design. Development has spread in the surrounding areas, new residential societies are entering to associate themselves with the capital instead of Rawalpindi. This uncontrollable extension puts the necessary services under pressure and accelerates environmental decline, as is evidence of the city’s growing water shortage.
These challenges highlight that civil stability requires action not only for policy makers and planners, but all stakeholders. The cost of being inactive is higher than the cost of investment. If the urban spread is not focused, it will be disastrous.
Cities should actively participate in the formation of the future of their cities through the use of responsible resources and social engagement to become people -based, sustainable and prosperous. Although well -controlled public places can turn urban areas into centers of innovation and social communication, lasting solutions can move beyond the city’s borders.
Development of rural and Perry urban areas is very important to reduce the magnetic bridge of major cities and to create a more balanced, sustainable citizen future. At the end of the day, it should all be based on the hope that the city is a gateway to joy for residents, in which toophilia only increases over time.
The author, a UCL and a former student, works in Oxford policy management and is a co -founder of the community -based learning platform Hemskhan.
