The whole world is moving towards urbanisation. But here in Pakistan, we are rapidly ruralizing the few urban centers we have. Why? Because we are too scared to move away from the status quo. We are too scared to think outside the box. This fear that the realities of our country cannot adapt to 21st century ideas has suppressed the potential of our cities.
This fear has seized all urban planning and development in Pakistan. Excuses are thrown around by many everyday. Urbanisation hurts the environment, we are too poor to be thinking about urban development, we don't have the capacity to pursue city development etc. Should such excuses prevent us from shaping a vision for our future cities? Should we throw our tools away and wait for our realities to change magically by themselves?
However farfetched the new growth strategy, produced by Planning Commission, may seem to traditionalists there is no denying the captivating vision it projects for our cities. One of the contending issues respondents have is that the document is anti-environment. Sure, rapidly developing countries have come under considerable pressure to pursue sustainable development as they urbanise. But then, countries such as China and India have taken significant steps to reduce their carbon emission rates and continued to urbanise. Were their realities any more different then ours 25 years ago? Not by a large margin. And where do their major cities stand today? At the forefront of world economic growth.
The common perception that urbanisation, now found in every rapidly developing country, leads to environmental disruption is a view shaped without comprehension. What is overlooked is that carefully crafted and organised urbanisation that is conducive to sustainable development can actually lead to a better, cleaner environment. The current state of our cities is abysmal. Disorganised implementation of too many futile policies has led to rampant traffic congestion, air and noise pollution, and depletion of valuable agricultural land as cities expand horizontally. These issues will only become more chronic with time, particularly as urban population grows at exponential rates. In 2009, urban population stood at 57.32 million. The United Nations estimates that by 2020 this figure will rise to 90-100 million, amounting to over 50 percent of the total population. What will become of all these people if space is not created to accommodate them? Space which should include employment opportunities, housing and service deliveries, such as health and education. Only a grim picture of a rising poverty graph comes to mind.
Let us be proactive. What is required is preparation for the worst and planning for the best outcomes. The answer to these pressing problems is not more regulations but de-regulation. Deregulation of building laws to allow for vertical city expansion and deregulation of zoning laws to include mixed use zones. The overall ambition of the new strategy is to create density in our cities, and rightly so. Research has proven that high-rise buildings are not only more energy efficient and economically feasible but also effective in utilising land. The allowance for high-rise buildings will encourage apartment construction, which will bridge the gap in the housing shortfalls and lead to a shift from construction of single-storey buildings and houses. This will limit the expansion of cities in peri-urban areas, which is currently putting increased pressure on transportation and utility services. And let's not forget the depletion of valuable agricultural land and natural habitat located at city peripheries.
Greater density in cities means shorter distances. The idea is to encourage city dwellers to rely on walking rather than cars. This will dramatically reduce the rate of carbon emissions and contain traffic congestion, pollution and noise in cities. With rising urban population, growing distances as cities expand, poor urban transportation and an expanding middle class, the amount of cars and motorcycles on the roads will exceed rapidly in the coming years. Even today the predominant mean of transport is private vehicles, which constitutes about 82 % of the total transport. Reports show that motor vehicle exhausts account for 90% of the pollutants in Pakistan's air. It is evident that our infrastructure and roads cannot sustain such heavy traffic loads. Why are we repeatedly doling our little resources on more flyovers? The prudent approach is to use those resources to create a city atmosphere that will discourage vehicle use. The fruit of this investment may be apparent later in time, but will last much longer in comparison to short term quick fixes.
A recommendation of the new strategy is to create an integrated transport network within cities in partnership with the private sector. Before dismissing this initiative one needs to take a closer look at our neighbour, India. Proactive thinking led to the introduction of a metro-subway system in Delhi, which was facing mounting problems of traffic and pollution. In 2007, it became one of only five metro systems in the world to make a profit without government subsidies.
The days are gone when we use the excuse of 'third world' status to brush off advancements such as metro systems because they seem unachievable. The new framework rejects this attitude and instead encourages us to think innovatively. If the recommendations put forward are adequately implemented there is no reason why Pakistan can't achieve similar advancements and sustainable development in the future.