Urban Development
Architects, Local Government and Karachi’s Buildings and Public Spaces
A discerning visitor looking at buildings and public space in any city can easily assess four things. These are the state of the architecture and planning professions in the city; the quality of education provided...
Karachi: Changes in Values and Lifestyles
Changes in the social values and lifestyles of the elite and middle classes in Karachi are all too visible; new cars, designer boutiques, fast food outlets, malls, expensive cafes, posh schools and universities in the...
The Scale and Causes of Urban Change in Pakistan
The census process and results are very important in the political context of Pakistan. There are a number of reasons for this. The number of seats in the national assembly for each province are allocated on the...
Karachi’s Development and the Principles of Urban Planning
To overcome problems created by massive rural-urban migration, industrialisation, increased trade, a phenomenal rise in the number of vehicles, and their related environmental and socio-economic repercussions, Third World cities and governments have invested huge amounts...
What Karachi Requires
The Local Body Ordinance was imposed on us by an unelected government in 2001. It was supposed to be the panacea for all our governance and development related problems. Through indirect voting in a ruthlessly...
The Sanitation Programme of the Orangi Pilot Project – Research and Training Institute, Karachi, Pakistan
Pakistan requires 350,000 new housing units per year for its urban areas. The formal sector is able to supply only 120,000 housing units per year.
Livelihood Substitution: The Case of the Lyari Expressway
There is a movement among members of communities effected by development projects which did not take their concerns into account to demand that the government initiate public consultations in the planning stages of the project....
IFI Loans and the Failure of Urban Development
Between 1976 and 2003, the government of Pakistan has taken loans from International Financial Institutions (IFIs) for urban development projects. These loans amount to US$ 1,472.44 million (Rs 88.346 billion) and most of them have...
Social Housing Construction Company: Concept Note
Karachi requires 80,000 housing units every year for its growing population, backlog and replacement. The formal sector provides no more than 30,000 housing units. The demand-supply gap is met by the creation of katchi abadis on state land, densification of inner city low income areas or remains unmet.
The Orangi Pilot Project-Research and Training Institute’s Mapping Process and its Repercussions
This monograph deals with the process of development of expertise in the OPP-RTI and the communities it supports for mapping informal settlements and urban infrastructure.
Understanding Asian Cities
Master Plans and Housing Policies in Karachi Since 1947, the growth in housing needs and the resultant formal sector housing policies and master plans can be divided into six phases. 5.1 Phase 1: 1947-1957 After...
Enacting Building Codes And Regulations
One of the major issues is the width of the roads which communities consider to be excessive. The reasons given for these widths are that they facilitate fire and health related emergency services. There is a need for a review of these regulations and standards for people have coped rather well with lower standards in slums, sometimes for well over three generations without being adversely affected.
