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Urban Development and Civil Society Responses in Karachi, Pakistan
20 December 2006
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Karachi, Pakistan |
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On the 20th of December 2006, the Aga Khan University - Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations (AKU-ISMC) held a public lecture,
The Neo-Liberal Urban Development Paradigm and Civil Society Responses in Karachi , Pakistan
by Arif Hasan.
Arif Hasan is a Pakistani architect and planner, teacher, social researcher and writer who has worked with the United Nations and a variety of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) as well as with low-income settlement programmes.
Hasan spoke of the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR), an Asia-Pacific network of professionals, NGOs and community organisations that is actively involved in urban poor development processes throughout the region.
Through its research conducted in a number of Asian cities, ACHR found that “urban development in Asia is largely driven by the concentration of local, national and increasingly, international profit-seeking enterprises, in and around particular urban centres.”
Through the report, ACHR identified a number of negative aspects of change occurring in Asia’s urban environment that adversely affect the lives of the more disadvantaged groups in Asia’s cities.
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A colourfully decorated bus, Karachi , Pakistan |
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Hasan explained that local governments in all of the cities involved in ACHR’s research had evolved an ‘image’ for the city, which usually involved catering for cars, high rise construction and gentrification of poor areas at the expense of poor communities.
As a result of local government policy that favours cars and concrete investment (such as highways and flyovers) over more people friendly development (like traffic management and public transport promotion), Asian cities are experiencing severe traffic problems, which have repercussions for health, stress levels and the environment.
Other negative changes that Hasan highlighted were the decrease in government subsidies for social sectors and an enormous increase in real estate development leading to greater coercion between developers and governments and the violation of by-laws and zoning regulations. As a result of these changes, the cultural heritage of many Asian cities is in danger of being destroyed. Easy access to loans from International Financial Institutions has lead to debt for many local governments.
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Sidhpur , India |
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Despite these negative developments, Hasan also said that there are positive changes that are occurring. These include changes such as the emergence of urban poor organisations, backed by powerful NGOs who are able to force governments to negotiate. Hasan spoke of the current Karachi context, and how the local government’s approach to planning has affected disadvantaged groups in society. He explained that in the last decades the entire approach to planning in Karachi has undergone a change.
According to Hasan, city planners are focused on making Karachi ‘beautiful’ to visitors and investors. These policies include making Karachi a ‘world class city’ that has ‘investment friendly infrastructure’ which although not clearly defined means planning that caters to the automobile and city modernisation.
In the face of such developments, two civil society organisations have been heavily involved, along with a network of community organisations and NGOs attempting to address the issues facing poor communities. Two such organisations include the Orangi Pilot Project and the Urban Resource Centre (URC).
Hasan spoke mainly of the URC, which was set up by teachers of architecture and planning, NGO activists and community leaders to disseminate information about the city plans, analyse plans on behalf of poor communities and hold forums at which all interest groups are present.
The URC’s first major project was lobbying against the construction of the Karachi Mass Transit Project – a proposed 6 corridor elevated tramway which, at its first stage, would have cost US$668 million. During its successful opposition to this project, which would have had negative environmental, social and financial impacts, the URC developed a model of research and advocacy which it has since used in other contexts.
The URC and its processes have created awareness in the public, media and government of the problems that planning raises for poor communities; it has also created a link between all groups concerned. Through this, the URC has become a successful advocate for sustainable urban planning and responsible development in Karachi.
External Links*
For a profile of Arif Hasan please click here.
To find out more about the Karachi Urban Resource Centre please click here.
All photographs © agencies of AKDN including AKU and AKF.
* Links to sites does not imply endorsement of the contents of those sites.
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