Urban and Rural Development

Pakistan’s population increases at the rate of 3 percent per year: 4.4 percent in the urban and 2.6 percent in the rural areas. In 1985, 30.1 percent of the country’s population lived in urban areas. In 1993, 35 percent will be living in urban areas. This means that 270,000 houses will be required per year in the urban sector and 250,000 in the rural sector.

Importance of the urban sector in housing: A second and, in some cases, third generation of slum dwellers is growing up in Pakistan’s urban areas. These people have a high level of awareness, higher literacy rates than the rest of the country, and possess none of the pioneering spirit that brought their families to the urban areas. Differences between the planned areas and the slums are very marked, especially in relation to tenure security and the availability of services. The urban unrest in Karachi, for instance, is attributed by social scientists to these issues. It is felt, therefore, that urban housing should take precedence over rural housing.

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