From Concrete Jungle to Pedestrian Paradise: Embracing Walkability

Walkability and pedestrianisation have become buzzwords in urban planning and design, with an increasing number of cities around the globe giving pedestrians and cyclists precedence over cars and other vehicles. Numerous benefits are associated with walkable and pedestrian-friendly cities, ranging from improved public health and reduced traffic congestion to increased social interaction and economic growth. This blog post examines the concepts of walkability and pedestrianisation, as well as recommended practices and strategies for achieving them in urban environments. Pedestrian: One immediately wonders what “walkability” and “pedestrianisation” are, so let’s define them. A walkable city is one in which the built environment is planned and administered to make walking an alluring and practical mode of transportation. Walkability encompasses not only the physical infrastructure, such as sidewalks, crosswalks, and pedestrian crossings, but also the social and cultural aspects of walking, such as street vendors, public art, and community events. On the other hand, pedestrianisation generally refers to converting previously automobile- and other vehicle-accessible areas into pedestrian-only zones. Pedestrianisation can take a variety of forms, ranging from temporary closures for events and festivals to permanent changes to streets or neighbourhoods. Pedestrianisation is a potent tool for promoting walkability and sustainable transportation because it can create safe and inviting public spaces for people to walk, bike, and interact. In many vibrant towns around the world, walkability and pedestrianisation are encouraged for the development of robust communities. Walkable neighbourhoods are associated with higher property values and economic growth because they attract residents, tourists, and businesses. https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5ffe/8b58/63c0/174c/f800/00f2/slideshow/Bike_Republic._pl.jpg?1610517332 As more people in our cities are recognizing the advantages of sustainable transportation and livable communities, there is a need to promote the concept of walkability and pedestrianisation. Though to achieve that numerous obstacles remains like lack of sufficient pedestrian infrastructure, unsafe road conditions, and a culture that prioritizes cars over pedestrians. The complete street concept can be adopted to overcome these challenges. As the concept is not limited for attaining just street designs and standards rather it also provides guidelines for formulating strong policies and how to adopt them in accordance to specified communities and relevant surroundings. It is about policy and institutional change. This may seem simple enough but years of work and trials are done to formulate the engineering techniques and design specific to each type of roadways along with advocacy groups to enhance each street considering its own flavor. Our cities can also adopt the output of their struggle with our own modifications, evolvement and enhancements keeping in view of our statistics, economic scenario, adaptability as well as seasonal elements. The Complete Streets approach integrates people and place in the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of our transportation networks. This helps to ensure streets put safety over speed, balance the needs of different modes, and support local land uses, economies, cultures, and natural environments. In conclusion, Complete Streets provides a holistic approach to create safe, sustainable, and livable communities by integrating people and places into the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of transportation networks. The Complete Streets approach can help overcome the obstacles to walkability and pedestrianisation in our cities. However, its implementation requires a paradigm shift. Author: Plnr. Filzah Irshad Member of PCATP since, 2020 Urban planner and research associate at Sheher Saaz Education: Bachelor in City & Regional Planning from LCWU and Master in CRP from UET

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April 26, 2023 No Comments

World Town Planning Day and Launch of the Book “National Urban Agenda of Pakistan; Policy Recommendations”

In 1949, World Town Planning Day, actually known as the international organisation for World Urbanism Day was founded by the late Professor Carlos Maria della Paolera of the University of Buenos Aires, a graduate at the Institut d’urbanisme in Paris, to advance public and professional interest in planning and to celebrate the accomplishments of planners and their contributions to their communities. Being town planners, celebrating the day dedicated to the profession has always been important as the profession is not well-known in the country and is not considered imperative enough so every year, it is celebrated at the national level with zest. It had been celebrated at NUST, UMT and LCWU in November and December 2019, organized by Gharana, IPP and Iqbal Institute of Policy Studies along with universities’ administration respectively. Town planners from all over the country took part in those events including renowned town planner Khurram Farid Bargatt (General Secretary IPP and VC Planning PCATP), Imtiaz Chandiyo (Chairman of Urban & Regional Planning Department Mehran University), Waseem Hayat Bajwa (DG Federal Government Employees Housing Authority), Dr. Tariq Mahmood (Principle of SCEE NUST), Planner Qadir Hasnain (PhD Scholar), Dr. Waheed (Chairman Urban & Regional Planning Department NUST), Taimoor ul Haq Abbasi (Director Iqbal Institute of Policy Studies) and Shafiq Akbar (CEO Gharana). Each participant had an intriguing topic to discuss and some very imperative points were highlighted through the presentations. Mr. Khurram Farid discussed New Urban Agenda, an initiative taken by the UN-Habitat and adopted by many countries except Pakistan, and launched a book in this regard to provide policy recommendations to formulate the New Urban Agenda of Pakistan. He highlighted its significance and need in the context of Pakistan and also expressed how the government can utilize the document in establishing its own policy in the context to achieve its set targets of Sustainable Development Goals.

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June 2, 2019 No Comments

IPP Executive Council Meeting

Institute of Planners Pakistan (IPP) Executive Council meeting was held on 25th May 2018 at 21 Dyal Singh Mansion, 57 The Mall, Lahore, 54000. Following attended the meeting: Mr. Aslam Mughal, Former President IPP Mr. Ghulam Sarwar Sandhu, President of IPP (Capital Development Authority) Mr. Khurram Farid Bargatt, Secretary-General IPP (Sheher Saaz Pvt Ltd) Mr. Salman Mehfooz Secretary Finance IPP (Lahore Development Authority) Mr. Muhammad Shoaib, Joint Secretary IPP (Surbana Juroung Pvt Ltd) Mr. Rizwan-Ur-Reham Executive Member IPP (Consultant Housing Department) Dr. Fariha Tariq, Executive Member IPP (University of Management and Technology) Dr. Asghar Naeem Malik, Executive Member IPP (NUST Islamabad) Mr. Afraz Akhtar, Executive Member IPP (Lahore Development Authority) Mr. Muhammad Zubair, Executive Member IPP (Defense Housing Authority) Dr. Muhammad Asim Executive Member IPP (University of Engineering & Technology) Ms. Nida Batool Executive Executive Member IPP (University of Management & Technology) Dr. Obaid Ullah Nadeem, Member IPP (University of Engineering and Technolgy) Ms. Sadaf Saeed, Member IPP (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) Ms. Ayesha Butt Member IPP (Sheher Saaz Pvt Ltd) Mr. Mehtab Qasim Member IPP (Sheher Saaz Pvt Ltd)

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March 25, 2018 No Comments

National Curriculum Review Committee for City and Regional Planning

The first meeting of the National Curriculum Review Committee (NCRC) for City and Regional Planning (CRP) Discipline was held in Nov 2016 at Lahore. It was quite a useful and productive meeting, and the outcome was a draft curriculum for CRP, which is based on the input of the committee members during the discussion, and exclusively input from members for the assigned courses. The formatted draft curricula of CRP was shared with NCRC members for further review and working. The final meeting of HEC NCRC for City & Regional Planning was held at HEC Regional Centre, Lahore from March 20-22, 2017. All members reviewed the assigned courses in light of HEC requirements. Both the BS and MS courses are reviewed and were provided to the chair for further necessary checks before printing. Once adopted and printed these recommendations by NCRC, all CRP Institutes will implement them at their level.

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March 25, 2017 No Comments

HEC, PCATP and IPP visited Sheher Saaz

Institute of Planners Pakistan (IPP), Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners (PCATP) and Higher Education Commission (HEC) joint meeting was held on Wednesday, 21st of March at Conference Room of Sheher Saaz (Pvt) Ltd, 21 Dyal Singh Mansion 57 The Mall, Lahore. This meeting was also attended by representatives from different universities. Ms, Sadia Fazili Registrar PCATP from Karachi Ms Fariha A Ubaid NED University, Dr Amir Khan Member NCRC HEC from Peshawar, Dr Mohammad Idrees Director HEC from Islamabad, Dr Naeem Asghar from NUST, Dr Tariq Habib Malik Advisor Sheher Saaz Pvt Ltd, Mr Mubashar Hussain Secretary NCRC HEC Mr Mutahir Awan Member from UMT, Mr Aslam Mughal President IPP, Mr Khurram Farid General Secretary IPP, Dr Atif Bilal Aslam Joint Secretary IPP UET LHR, Mr Salman Mehfooz Finance Secretary IPP, Mr Muhammad Shoaib Member EC, Dr Atiq ur Rehman Member EC and HOD LCWU, Mr Umar Farooq Member EC, Mr Mehtab Qasim Member IPP & Member Election Committee IPP were the participants.

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March 21, 2017 No Comments

Annual General Meeting (AGM) of IPP

11 March 2017 – IPP Annual General meeting was held on March 11, 2017, at seminar Hall of University of Management and Technology Lahore. The meeting started with a recitation from the Holy Quran by Mr M. Umair. Mr Aslam Mughal opened the meeting by welcoming all the participants. He thanked Dr Fariha Tariq for providing a venue for the hosting of AGM of IPP. He highlighted the progress and developments regarding IPP strengthening and problems being faced by the Institute. He thanked Mr Nadeem Khurshid and other members of EC for their contribution during the last phase. He further mentioned that few changes in EC of IPP suggested by the last AGM, has brought a new life and IPP has progressed significantly over the past one year. Membership of the Institute has increased and crossed the benchmark of 100 valid members with the efforts of Mr Khurram Farid Bargatt, Mr Salman Mehfooz and Mr Rana Tahir. He said it’s the right time for the election on all seats. He further emphasized that during the last EC meeting it was proposed that two seats of IPP i-e president and the secretary-general will be filled by nomination/election and the rest of the seats will be filled through open election. He said in view of the wishes of the house election should be held through an open and fair environment. He told the house that according to the Bye-Laws of IPP any member of EC can only continue for two terms and he has already served for two terms hence he is not willing to continue any further. He stated that upholding the constitution is necessary for the organization. Mr Khurram Farid then presented the annual report to the house. He said IPP is the only officially recognized body of town planners working in Pakistan for the betterment and up-gradation of the profession. He informed that six meetings of EC were held at Lahore since the last AGM. IPP has also restarted its newsletter and already two volumes are in circulation. IPP has also redressed issues concerning planners and planning in the country. IPP along with the UET, LCWU, UET Peshawar and UMT organized and supported different events for the interaction among students, faculty and practising planners. He further said last year in August Eid Milan Party was organized by IPP with major support by LDA planners. A large number of planners attended this event. Vice-Chancellor UET also attended the event. Shields were presented to the planners who served IPP in various capacities. IPP also celebrated Habitat III, The New Urban Agenda and marked its contribution and efforts for the betterment of our cities. He further stated that all heads of departments of CRP institutes are co-opted as members of EC of the institute. Since then working on IPP has significantly improved. In Nov 2016, the secretary-general attended the National Curriculum Review Committee of HEC and recommended improvements in the CRP curriculum. He told the house that in the last AGM there were only 21 valid members and now it has reached the number of 100. IPP has gained planners confidence since the change in EC of IPP during the last one year. He presented budget and audited reports which were approved by the house. Mr Aslam Mughal presented the two resolutions to the house that all posts of EC will be filled through open election thereby deleting earlier amendment of nomination/election and award of honorary membership for Master Degree holders in City & Regional Planning whose basic qualification is not BSc. CRP, till rules are modified. House agreed that election should be held through open election; Dr Shabih ul Hassan Zaidi raised the point that in the last EC Meeting it was decided to put resolution for the third term. House after discussion rejected with the majority. Planners can only hold two consecutive terms of IPP as per provisions of the constitution. Mr Aslam Mughal wished that the election process should be completed by the end of April and asked the house to nominate three persons for the election committee who are not contesting the election. House proposed and approved three names (Mr. Sheikh Rasheed Dr Obaid Ullah Nadeem and Mr Mehtab Qasim). House gave a big hand for the efforts of the current EC for the strengthening of IPP. Mr Sarwar Sandhu emphasized to the house that there is a dire need for an independent council of planners. Mr Aslam Mughal thanked the house for sparing precious time, especially planners who came all the way from Islamabad and Peshawar to attend this meeting.

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March 11, 2017 No Comments

The New Urban Agenda – HIII

ROLE OF URBAN PLANNING IN PAKISTAN FOR ACHIEVING NEW URBAN AGENDA Lahore, October 21, 2016: A technical session on understanding the “New Urban Agenda” with reference to Pakistan was organized by the Institute of Planners Pakistan (IPP) It was held at the office of Sheher Saaz (Pvt.) Limited (Architectural and Urban Planning Firm). The purpose of this session was to create awareness in researchers, policy makers, built environment practitioners and public regarding the importance of Third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) and how the agreed agenda is related with Pakistan and what role IPP and various built-environment professionals have to play in achieving the targets set in the New Urban Agenda. In the beginning session all the participants introduced each other. Mr. Khurram Farid Bargatt, The Secretary General of IPP gave a brief introduction about Habitat I, II, III and Pakistan’s participation in events. Planner Muhammad Shoaib, Executive Member IPP gave a detailed presentation elaborating Habitat I,II & III and Pakistan’s role in achieving the goals and objectives of these conferences. He interpreted the need of organizing these conferences every twenty years. He added “at the time of Habitat I in 1976, urbanization was considered as a challenge and the need to create a global institution to oversee the impacts of urbanization was realized thus giving space to the creation of UN Habitat. But in Habitat II in 1996, it was more focused on assessing two decadal progress and setting forth fresh goals for the new millennium by introducing Habitat Agenda “Adequate Shelter for All”. He maintained that Habitat III in 2016 is quite important as it is setting a “New Urban Agenda” which addresses urbanization as endogenous source of development, linking urbanization with climate change, considering urbanization as a tool that can integrate socio-economic development and equity. This means the New Urban Agenda will be following and pushing the progress on Sustainable Development Goals 2030. The New Urban Agenda will address the challenges of poverty, inequality, addressing climate change, looking forward to sustainable forms of consumption and production in the next twenty years.” He maintained that Pakistan is a fast urbanizing country among South Asia, 35.8% in 2005; 38.6% in 2015 and 39 in 2016 and it is likely that Pakistan will be 50% urbanized by the year 2025. Which means currently almost 3 million population equivalent to the size of city of Faisalabad is added to our existing cities annually. However, our cities are unable to foster planned growth and almost 60% population lives in slums or slums like condition. He further stressed that urbanization is a blessing in disguise. The need is to steer planned urbanization and getting fruitful results. The New Urban Agenda focuses on six thematic areas (i) Urban Economy; (ii). Urban Demographics (Social Cohesion and Equity) – Livable Cities; (iii) urban Frameworks (Public Policies, Governance and Legislation); (iv). Urban Ecology and Environment; (v). Urban Planning and Design (Spatial Development); and (vi). Housing and Basic Services. The major implementing strategies that the states have to consider under the New Urban Agenda include: (i) Revising Urban Rules and regulation, (ii) fostering Urban Planning & Design; (iii) ensuring Municipal Finances and (iv) connecting National Urban Policies with the dynamics of urbanization. He concluded the New Urban Agenda is now our responsibility. He stressed that this responsibility is not merely the responsibility of the state. It is a shared responsibility in which all actors including the state, private sector, citizens, academia, civil society, policy makers and the concerned built-environment professionals have to strive their best to fulfill the commitments under the New Urban Agenda. He wished if the recommendations set out under the New Urban Agenda are complied, 20 years later Pakistani cities will be model of sustainable cities which will be inclusive and equitable. After the presentation the house was opened for discussion on The New Urban Agenda adopted at Habitat III Conference in Quito on 20th October, 2016. Among the participants, Mr. Rizwan ur Rehman mentioned that Pakistan National Report submitted by the Ministry of Climate Change was prepared in hurry and didn’t consult public for comments and feedback without going for larger stakeholder consultation. Mr. Khurram Farid Bargatt highlighted the fact that the institutions responsible for urban planning and management are not well aware of Habitat II Agenda till today and the same thing has happened for the Agenda of Habitat III. All institutions were not taken on board for the preparation and consultation for this conference at any stage. Mr. Naveed ul Haq, from Elan Environmental Consultant, expressed that there is need of new laws on environment and building regulations. Mr. Khurram Farid mentioned that after 18th the Amendment powers were supposed to be transferred to local bodies this has also been emphasized in New Urban Agenda to decentralize powers to strengthen local bodies. But in Punjab or other provinces, provincial government are establishing more provincial or divisional level authorities. Architect Silwat Afzal (NCA Lahore) highlighted the reason of migration in the cities that people migrate from one place to another for two main reasons; for education or health and other is for better employment. Dr. Fariha Tariq (Chairperson, Department of City & Regional Planning, UMT) talked about house design and said that our public don’t want to live in a house of 2 or 3 marla because these are not designed as per socioeconomic and cultural grounds. She also told that half of cities infrastructure include housing; addressing housing issues will pave towards achieving set targets of New Urban Agenda. Mr. Shoaib pointed out that it is the negligence of our municipal institutions to guide growth and development of urban areas in a planned fashion as compared to the developed countries where one can see the uniform pattern as those municipalities make local plans and regulate it in efficient way. While in case of Pakistan there is a haphazard pattern because our local authorities do not go for detailed planning. Mr. Mutahir Awan (Assistant Professor at UMT

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October 21, 2016 No Comments

Habitat III: The New Urban Agenda

The New Urban Agenda This century will see a substantial majority of the world’s population living in urban centers. The Habitat III Conference therefore has, as its mission, the adoption of a New Urban Agenda—an action-oriented document which will set global standards of achievement in sustainable urban development, rethinking the way we build, manage, and live in cities through drawing together cooperation with committed partners, relevant stakeholders, and urban actors at all levels of government as well as the private sector. Agreed Draft of the New Urban Agenda 10 September 2016 New York, USA After the release of the Surabaya Draft of the New Urban Agenda at the third session of the Preparatory Committee for the Habitat III Conference in Surabaya, Indonesia in July 2016, the New Urban Agenda has finally been agreed on at the Habitat III Informal Intergovernmental Meeting which took place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 7 to 10 September 2016, and it will be adopted in Quito, Ecuador, in October 2016. View the Agreed draft of the New Urban Agenda here – 10 September 2016 Surabaya Draft of the New Urban Agenda 28 July 2016 Surabaya, Indonesia This draft is the result of the negotiations at the third session of the Preparatory Committee for the Habitat III Conference (PrepCom3), held in Surabaya, Indonesia, 25–27 July 2016. It is the basis for the next round of informal negotiations in New York end of August/beginning of September. The exact date of the informal negotiations will be announced soon. View the Surabaya Draft of the New Urban Agenda here – 28 July 2016 Draft of the New Urban Agenda 18 July 2016 New York, USA The Draft New Urban Agenda has been prepared on the basis of inputs and negotiations throughout the Habitat III intersessional process leading toPrepCom3. This draft will be the basis of negotiations at the third session of the Preparatory Committee for the Habitat III Conference (PrepCom3), to be held in Surabaya, Indonesia, 25–27 July 2016. The New Urban Agenda aims to be a concise, action-oriented, forward-looking, and universal framework of actions for housing and sustainable urban development. Read More Zero Drafts of the New Urban Agenda 18 June and 6 May 2016 New York, USA The first zero draft of the New Urban Agenda—which was prepared on the basis of inputs from broad regional and thematic consultations, as well as the policy recommendations elaborated by the policy units and comments thereon received by participating states and all stakeholders—was submitted on 6 May 2016 by the Bureau of the Preparatory Committee for discussion at the informal intergovernmental negotiations and informal hearings with local authorities associations and civil society organizations in May and June, as decided by the General Assembly resolution A/70/210. Read More The Transformative Power of Urbanization Throughout modern history, urbanization has been a major driver of development and poverty reduction. Governments can respond to this key development opportunity through Habitat III by promoting a new model of urban development that is able to integrate all facets of sustainable development to promote equity, welfare and shared prosperity. It is time to think urban: how to mobilise the global community and focus all levels of human settlements, including small rural communities, villages, market towns, intermediate cities and metropolises for demographic and economic growth. Habitat III can help systematise the alignment between cities and towns and national planning objectives in their role as drivers of national economic and social development. Dr. Joan Clos, the Secretary-General of the Habitat III Conference, talks about the Habitat III process in occasion of the Montreal Thematic Meeting Urbanization is an unprecedented challenge. By the middle of the century four of every five people might be living in towns and cities. Urbanization and development are inextricably linked and it is necessary to find a way of ensuring the sustainability of growth. Urbanization had become a driving force as well as a source of development with the power to change and improve lives. Habitat III Conference has the convening power to bring together all actors to achieve these objectives. Solutions for the complex challenge of urbanization can only be found by bringing together Member States, multilateral organizations, local governments, private sector and civil society. Rethinking the Urban Agenda is: Embracing urbanization at all levels of human settlements, more appropriate policies can embrace urbanization across physical space, bridging urban, peri-urban and rural areas, and assist governments in addressing challenges through national and local development policy frameworks. Integrating equity to the development agenda. Equity becomes an issue of social justice, ensures access to the public sphere, extends opportunities and increases the commons. Fostering national urban planning and planned city extensions. Deciding how relevant sustainable development goals will be supported through sustainable urbanization. Aligning and strengthening institutional arrangements with the substantive outcomes of Habitat III, so as to ensure effective delivery of the new Urban Agenda. Implementing the Urban Agenda means: Urban Rules and Regulations. The outcomes in terms of quality of an urban settlement is dependent on the set of rules and regulations and its implementation. Proper urbanization requires the rule of law. Urban Planning and Design. Establishing the adequate provision of common goods, including streets and open spaces, together with an efficient pattern of buildable plots. Municipal Finance. For a good management and maintenance of the city, local fiscal systems should redistribute parts of the urban value generated. With the consideration of: National Urban Policies. These establish a connection between the dynamics of urbanization and the overall process of national development. The Global Context Cities today occupy approximately only 2% of the total land, however: 70%Economy (GDP) over 60%Global Energy Consumption 70%Greenhouse Gas Emissions 70%Global Waste The Global Development Framework

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September 15, 2016 No Comments

World Town Planning Day

“World Town Planning Day”, was founded in 1949 by the late Professor Carlos Maria Della Paolera of the University of Buenos Aires, a graduate at the Institut d’urbanisme in Paris, to advance public and professional interest in planning. It is celebrated in more than 30 countries on four continents each November 8th. It is a special day to recognize and promote the role of planning in creating livable communities. World Urbanism Day presents an excellent opportunity to look at planning from a global perspective, an event that appeals to the conscience of citizens and public authorities in order to draw attention to the environmental impact resulting from the development of cities and territories. On Sunday the 8th of November the walk was arranged at Mall Road from Faisal Chowk Mall Road to Dyal Singh Mansion, Mall Road with an aim to explore contemporary practices that led to the deterioration of the Mall Road with excessive character-undermining due to commercialization. This Walk was a part of series to commemorate World Town Planning Day that is celebrated across the globe to emphasize the need for better planning of human settlements. Members from civil society, the planning community, and students from universities are participating in this event. This year’s theme of World Town Planning Day ‘’Housing Regeneration – Strengthening Communities’’, is being adopted by all planning institutes and organizations worldwide. Institute of Planners Pakistan IPP along with Three Universities is organizing seminars, lectures, and workshops at their campuses. These Universities include the University of Engineering and Technology Lahore UET, the University of Management and Technology Lahore UMT, and Lahore College for Women University Lahore LCW. Senior Planners from the public, private, and universities are going to present their work there. Lahore College for Women University celebrated World Town Planning Day on the 10th of November at the LCWU campus. University of Management and Technology is celebrating on the 30th of November at the UMT campus. University of Engineering and Technology has scheduled World Town Planning Day celebrations on the 5th of December at UET Lahore Campus. Institute of Planners Pakistan with the collaboration of UMT is also organizing a poster competition among students for the World Town Planning Day. The top three position holders will get prizes and certificates. For any further details please contact IPP at email: instituteofplanners@gmail.com

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November 8, 2015 No Comments

Institute of Planners Pakistan

Dear Fellow EC Member/Planner, Greetings.. IPP’s Executive Council meeting has been scheduled on May 15, 2015 (5:30 PM Sharp) at Planner Khurram Farid’s Office “Shehersaz, 21 Diyaal Singh Mansion, The Mall, Lahore”. Participation is highly encouraged and kindly knowledge receipt of this invitation as well as your availability. The agenda of the meeting shall be circulated later. With regards, (Secretary General, IPP)

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June 30, 2015 No Comments

WTPD and IPP

WORLD TOWN PLANNING DAY By: Muhammad Aslam Mughal, President Institute of Planners Pakistan World Town Planning Day is being celebrated on 8th November 2015. Institute of Planners Pakistan (IPP) has also chalked out a number of activities in collaboration with various institutions in the country to celebrate this day throughout the month of November. The idea is to create awareness in the general public and highlight issues for the planners and other related professionals. In these events, leading academicians and practitioners will be sharing their ideas and experiences with a large number of professionals and students to improve the quality of life in our cities and towns. Pakistan is faced with complex challenges in view of rapid urbanization whereby 60% of our population will be living in urban areas by 2050 as compared to 35% currently. In terms of number, we have to accommodate more than 80 million people in urban areas during this period as compared to the existing figure of 70 million. It means we need a new Faisalabad every year. Urbanization has negative effects but it is a major factor for economic growth. Currently, about 77% of Pakistan’s GDP is being generated by the cities so one can appreciate the role of cities in the national economy. This is why many countries in the world are focusing on cities to make them more efficient including the launch of programs of smart cities. Pakistan is under tremendous pressure of climate change that is going to impact our existing cities and pose serious issues with relation to the location of new cities. Recent earthquakes and floods indicate the effects. Our agricultural and forest areas, coastal zones, and areas of cultural and historic significance are under the threat of urbanization. In case of no serious action precious agricultural land will go on decreasing creating food security problems. We have a great opportunity in the form of the China Pak Economic Corridor to rationalize our settlement structure with a focus on underdeveloped areas of KPK, Baluchistan, and Sindh. All developed countries have gone through this stage of urbanization but they have prepared themselves to cope with the situation. The basic requirement to tackle these issues properly is a comprehensive spatial planning system at the national, provincial, and local levels. Whereas there have been some attempts at the local levels in the form of master plans, structure plans, and outline development plans the other two levels have been ignored so far. KPK has recently initiated Provincial Land Use Plan and Punjab is now in the process of initiating the Provincial Spatial Development Plan. Planning Commission recommended the preparation of National Spatial Strategy and Provincial Spatial Development Plans in 2005 but no action has been taken so far. It is high time we initiate these plans to preserve our national assets and capitalize on the immense natural and human resource potential in the service of our existing and future population. Recently approved Vision 2025 will provide a sound basis for National Spatial Strategy. These plans have to be prepared with the active participation of all public and private stakeholders and approved by the highest level of government to realize the fruits of this effort. A number of successful examples from other countries are available. Efforts in cities have also to be more coordinated and participation of all stakeholders has to be ensured from the preparation of plans to their implementation. To provide teeth to these plans Planning Act is a must so that all public and private developers and service providers strictly follow these plans to create sustainable cities/towns serving all sectors of the economy and all sections of the society equitably and efficiently. IPP is committed to these goals and will continue its efforts to advise and assist relevant government institutions to cope with the challenges.

SHEHER SAAZ

Creating Places For People

our blog

Tag: Institute of Planners Pakistan

From Concrete Jungle to Pedestrian Paradise: Embracing Walkability

World Town Planning Day and Launch of the Book “National Urban Agenda of Pakistan; Policy Recommendations”

IPP Executive Council Meeting

National Curriculum Review Committee for City and Regional Planning

HEC, PCATP and IPP visited Sheher Saaz

Annual General Meeting (AGM) of IPP

The New Urban Agenda – HIII

Habitat III: The New Urban Agenda

World Town Planning Day

Institute of Planners Pakistan

WTPD and IPP

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