Surveys and projections indicate that all urban growth over the next 25 years will be in developing countries with Asia leading the race on this front. The UN forecasts that today's urban population of 3.2 billion in the world will rise to nearly 5 billion by 2030, when there out of five people will live in cities. By 2025, it is estimated that, in Asia alone, we will have at least 10 of the mega cities.
Pakistan along with its neighbouring countries like India, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Indonesia must face this challenge with a well planned & sustainable approach by learning from each other. This was stated by Provincial Minister for Education and Tourism Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan while addressing the inaugural session of 3-day Annual Architects Convention, here Friday.
The convention has been organized by the Institute of Architects Pakistan, Lahore Chapter which will continue till May 18, 2014. While emphasising the need to come up with pragmatic solution for solving the problems associated with urbanisation, Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan said that the mega cities can be the engines of rapid economic growth. Mega cities may provide mega opportunities for massive growth patterns taking root in these urban centers. It is how we face this challenge that will determine our future. Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan, is already ranked amongst the 10 most populated mega cities of the world. Lahore, the second largest city of Pakistan, has already surpassed the ten million bench mark and is at the threshold for joining the club. Our urban centers are plagued by a multitude of issues which include lack of urban and social planning, limited financial resources, scarcity of water, electricity, gas, sewerage facilities, public transportation, housing, overburdened and aging infrastructure, traffic congestion, environmental pollution and mass migration to the cities which necessitates sustainable approach to optimise the potential locked in to these great concentrations of human resources. The Punjab government has adopted an active strategy to address these issues through urban policy and planning, urban design, urban economics and urban sociology which are being simultaneously brought into play, the Minister added.
Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan stressed upon ensuring political continuity in Pakistan so that the mega projects for a proper development of mega cities could be accomplished without any hindrance. He referred the colonisation of new cities around the new industrial zones and along with all interchanges of the motorway and disclosed that the provincial government will develop clusters of new urban localities around the successful industrial zones where low cost standardised housing technology will be introduced. Chairman Institute of Architects Pakistan (IAP) Ahmad Pervaiz Mirza, Vice Chairman Ali Zafar Qazi and President IAP Jahangir Khan Sherpao also spoke on the occasion. The Minister also took a round of the stalls set up in the building materials and products exhibition held in the venue of the Architects Convention.
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