Role of urban planning in mass transit system of Lahore
This discussion was aimed to get the viewpoint of urban planning experts on the provision of mass transit facilities (metro bus and orange train) in Lahore. The discussion point is Urban planning in pursuit of mass transit provision in the local context of Lahore. The following points were discussed a) What do you think about the provision of metro services (bus+ train) in Lahore as an urban planner? b) Is the mass transit concept applied as a sustainable option? (if yes how and if not why not) c) What are the urban planning challenges/ issues raised after the mass transit provision in the city? d) The suggested planning measures to enhance the future development of Lahore in line with the mass transit provision. A Focus Group Discussion was organized on the topic of “Urban planning in pursuit of mass transit provision in the local context of Lahore.” All participants gave their viewpoints about mass transit systems of different cities of Pakistan. In this respect, the metro bus projects of Lahore, Multan, Islamabad, Karachi and Peshawar were also discussed. They also quoted the examples of UK and UAE mass transit systems. They also discussed that what should be the role of federal government and development authority and how they should implement such projects? Keeping in view the local, social, cultural, and environmental conditions of the country the improvements in decision making process of mass transit projects is highly recommended by the planning officials. Following professionals participated in the discussion. 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) Sadaf Saeed sadaf.saeed@rmit.edu.au Ph.D. candidate Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University) Melbourne, Australia City and Regional Planning Dept. University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore
