IPP NEWSLETTER sept oct 2012.pdf · (Observer), Mr. Izhar ul Haq (Observer), Mr. Ghulam Asghar Malik (Observer), Mr. Shakil Anjum Minhas (Observer) & Dr. Khalid Farooq Akbar (Observer)

effort is being made to

provide readers with

different point of views

with each new edition

by highlighting the re-

cent national planning

news. Moreover, this

issue also includes two

articles authored by re-

nowned international

experts. We certainly

hope that you will enjoy

thisread. Your feedback

is greatly appreciated.

ARFA RIZWAN (EDITOR)

[email protected]

Reader’s heartening re-

sponse on last issue has

served as a great mo-

rale booster for the

whole editorial team.

We are grateful to all

those who have appre-

ciated our work and

provided us their valua-

ble feedback. This issue

offers many interesting

news, informative arti-

cles and current plan-

ning activities and we

hope it will appeal a

wide spectrum of

readers. The issue con-

tains an in-depth cov-

erage of the decisions tak-

en during the recent IPP

meetings and also pro-

vides an insight into the

technical sessions con-

ducted by IPP by bringing

planning committees on a

common platform. IPP

meeting with Dr. Nadeem

ul Haq (Deputy Chairman,

Planning Commission of

Pakistan) concerning a

broad range of issues in-

cluding Pakistan’s New

Growth Strategy and envi-

sioning Creative Cities is

another informative piece

for planners. A conscious

The IPP Executive Coun-

cil’s monthly meetings

for the months of August

and October were held

on 31st August & October

01, 2012 in Lahore . The

meetings were largely

attended by IPP EC mem-

bers and planners.

From editor’s desk...

IPP’s Executive Council meetings...

IPP NEWSLETTER

S E P - O C T 2 0 1 2 V O L U M E 1 1 , I S S U E I I I

ROM EDITOR’S DESK

IPP EC MEETINGS

TECHNICAL SESSIONS

IPP MEETS DR. NADEEM

IPP’s NEW CHAPTERS

NEWS AROUND

STUDENTS CORNER

URBAN REGENERATION

LAHORE BRT

UN-HABITAT DAY

PATRON-IN-CHEIF:

DR. ANIS UR RAHMAAN

RESEARCH ADVISOR: DR. SHABIH-UL-HASSAN ZAIDI

CHIEF EDITOR: NADEEM KHURSHID

EDITOR:

ARFA RIZWAN

EDITORAL BOARD:

DR.OBAID-ULLAH-NADEEM

M. ANWAR HUSSAIN CH.

SEERAT FAROOQ

MARYUM JAVAID

KINZA NADEEM

IN THIS ISSUE:

A Publication by Institute of Planners Pakistan

A P U B L I C A T I O N B Y I N S T I T U T E O F P L A N N E R S P A K I S T A N

P A G E 2

“A city that outdistances

man’s walking

powers is a trap for

man’’. (Arnold J.

Toynbee-British

Historian and

Author).

IPP meetings contd…..

IPP held Technical Sessions……...

IPP recently held two consecu-

tive technical sessions in Lahore,

these were a start of this series

and IPP aims continuance of

such academic initiative in fu-

ture. Next technical session has

been planned on “Pakistan New

Growth Strategy & Creative

Cities: Implementation Strate-

gies” in coming December.

“Management of peri-urban

areas in cities: Concept, signifi-

cance, delineation principles/

criteria, and enforcement mod-

(Continued on page 3)

IPP). The meeting was

attended by following :

Mr. Aslam Mughal

(President), Dr. Ghulam

Abbas Anjum (Senior

Vice President), Mr.

Shabbir Ahmad Butt

(Vice President I), Mr.

Nadeem Khurshid

(Secretary General), Dr.

Obaidullah Nadeem

(Joint Secretary), Dr.

Shabih ul Hasan Zaidi

(Member), Mr. Tariq

Rauf Ch. (Member), Mr.

Salman Sabir (Member),

Mr. Wamiq Anwer Mian

(Observer), Mr. Izhar ul

Haq (Observer), Mr.

Ghulam Asghar Malik

(Observer), Mr. Shakil

Anjum Minhas

(Observer) & Dr. Khalid

Farooq Akbar

(Observer).

Mr. Mughal acknowl-

edged and appreciated

all EC members and

guests who have come

all the way to chip in the

technical session on Peri

-Urban Areas. Dr. Zaidi

and Mr. Mughal highly

appreciated recent

newsletter and concert-

ed efforts made by the

editor Ms. Arfa Rizwan

and her team for the

same.

Mr. Tariq Rauf proposed

the publication of News-

letter in printed (Paper

Form), to evaluate the

feasibility Mr. Mughal

constituted a committee

comprising Mr. Tariq

Rauf and Mr. Shakil Min-

has. Mr. Mughal pro-

posed holding another

technical session on Pun-

jab Land use Rules, to

which house unanimous-

ly agreed. Meeting ad-

journed after a vote of

thanks by Secretary Gen-

eral and followed by a

round table technical ses-

sion on “Management of

Peri-urban areas in our

cities: Concept, signifi-

cance, delineation princi-

ples / criteria, and en-

forcement models”.

In this meeting IPP EC

also approved it two new

chapters, KPK & Interna-

tional. EC also thanked

Plnr. Wamiq Anwer Mian

for his valuable donations

to IPP.


P A G E 3 V O L U M E 1 1 , I S S U E I I I

els” and “Punjab Land use Rules

2009; Discrepancies and Imple-

mentation Impediments” were

the topics under debate.

First session was organized in

Lahore on 31st August 2012 . .

The session was attended by fol-

lowing members: Mr. Aslam

Mughal (President), Dr. Ghulam

Abbas Anjum, Dr. Shabih Zaidi,

Mr. Nadeem Khurshid, Mr.

Wamiq Anwer Mian, Mr. Shabbir

Butt, Dr. Khalid Farooq Akbar, Mr.

Shakil Anjum Minhas, Mr. Izhar ul

Haq, Mr. Salman Sabir, Mr. Shah-

zad Haider, Mr. Tariq Rauf and

Mr. Ghulam Asghar Malik.

Delineation/declaration of peri-

urban area has been an im-

portant segment of Landuse

Rules 2009, realizing the im-

portance of the issue; IPP pro-

posed to hold this session and

invited a panel of distinguished

professional for this round ta-

ble session. Participant gave

very pertinent deliberations on

subject matter. President IPP

appreciated and thanked all

the professional participants

and said that deliberations giv-

en shall be recorded and com-

piled. He also assured that rec-

ommendation/suggestion put

forward in this session shall

also be presented in the com-

mittee formed by city district

government Lahore set up

frame guidelines for the same.

Second session on “Land use

Rules 2009, Discrepancies and

Implementation Impedi-

ments” was held at national

library of University of Engineer-

ing & Technology, Lahore on 1st

October 2012. This session was

largely attended by professionals

and planning students. Those in-

clude Mr. Aslam Mughal, Dr. Ghu-

lam Abbas Anjum, Dr. Shabih

Zaidi, Mr. Nadeem Khurshid, Mr.

Riaz Akhter, Sh. Abdul Rasheed,

Ms. Naheed Ghazanfer, Prof. A.

Sattar Sikander, Mr. Izhar ul Haq,

Dr. Obaidullah Nadeem, Dr. Mu-

hammad Asim, Dr. Niaz Ahmad,

Mr. Qaiser Majeed, Dr. Zareen

Shahid, Ms. Humaira, Ms. Sumaira

Shadab, Mr. Salman Sabir, Mr.

Arif, Mr. Amir Safdar, Ms. Maryam

Kazmi, Mr. Shakil Anjum Minhas,

Ms. Arfa Rizwan & Mr. Saqlain Ak-

bar.

(NOTE: To get proceeding and delibera-

tions please contact Secretary General

IPP)


P A G E 4

I P P N E W S L E T T E R B Y I N S T I T U T E O F P L A N N E R S P A K I S T A N

Institute of Planners Pakistan

held a consultative meeting

with Dr. Nadeem ul Haq

(Deputy Chairman, Planning

Commission of Pakistan) on

September 30, 2012 at Lahore.

The agenda of the meeting was

to have a constructive dis-

course on New Growth Frame-

work for Pakistan which entails

development of Creative Cities

and augmenting denser mixed

use development in Pakistani

cities. Meeting was chaired by

Dr. Nadeem ul Haq and attend-

ed by Mr. Shahid Sattar

(Member Energy, Planning

Commission), Mr. Aslam Mugh-

al (President IPP), Mr. Anwar

Hussain Ch. (Chief Housing,

Planning Commission), Dr.

Ghulam Abbass Anjum

(Chairman, DCRP, UET, Lahore),

Mr. Nadeem Khurshid

(Secretary General IPP & Con-

sulting Urban Planner), Dr.

Khalid Farooq Akbar

(Consulting Urban Ecologist),

Mr. Amin Tariq (Consulting

Structural Engineer), Mr. Shah-

zad Haider (Urban Planner, Lo-

cal Govt. Punjab), Mr. Adeel

Anwar (Urban Planner), Ms.

Kiran Shahzadi (Urban Planner,

Punjab Urban Unit). Dr.

Nadeem ul Haq briefly de-

scribed new growth vision for

Pakistan and role of cities as a

propulsive to economic

growth. He highlighted that

Pakistan has over 90 million

youth, most of them are un-

educated/unemployed and

they are not being taken care

of, no job opportunities, no

social inclusion and thus no

growth. The cities are con-

sumption oriented due to hap-

hazard sprawl pushed by our

love for KOTHIS (bungalows).

He added we are not being left

with much land around cities.

Depleted environmental re-

serves, pro-cars and com-

muting at large further aggra-

vating the poorly managed ur-

ban scene. He said that denser

mixed used development in

and around cities is the only

viable solution as most parts of

the world have already gone

for it. Further, he emphasized

developing vehicle free walk

IPP meets Dr. Nadeem ul Haq on Pakistan’s New Growth Strategy and

Creative Cities Vision…….


able communities having work,

living and leisure in the same

vicinity and this can only be

achieved by going vertical. He

further argued that dense

mixed use development also

augments

energy effi-

ciency and

conservation.

Mr. Shahid

(Member En-

ergy) ap-

prised that in

Pakistan, we consume 1.38

units of energy to generate 1

unit of GDP whereas our neigh-

bor India does it only by con-

suming 0.8 units of energy still

having better urban livelihood,

this clearly shows that how en-

ergy abusive we are? After-

wards, Dr. Nadeem also em-

phasized the role of Punjab

Urban Unit to disseminate and

implement this vision at pro-

vincial level. He urged planners

to heed emerging contempo-

rary planning solutions and be

supportive to the Pakistan’s

New Framework of Growth.

He also added that Dioxidis’s

“DYNAPOLIS “concept is no

more relevant to the present

urban context.

President IPP Mr. Mughal said

that IPP fully supports NGS vi-

sion and added that planners

are pro-growth but cities must

have a holistic strategic vision

to guide all development is-

sues without which a sustaina-

ble urban development cannot

be achieved. If we see exiting

regulation not supportive to

the proposed new vision, these

regulation can by revisited but

first of all we must devise stra-

tegic development visions for

each city/region independent-

ly.

He also assured planning com-

mission of IPP’s full support in

implementing NGS vision and

further affirmed that IPP shall

hold debates to work out strat-

egies to implement this vision

at all levels of urban Pakistan.

Dr. Ghulam Abbas highlighted

and appreciated the initiative

recently taken up by Govt. of

Punjab such as BRT. He added

that he sees this BRT line

would generate future denser

nodes/zones along its line of

operation. He also supported

that cities must go vertical to

cope commuting and efficien-

cy issues. Dr. Abbass also

showed his concern over

planning commission’s role in

urban development in the

past. Mr. Nadeem Khurshid

said that it seems like techno-

crats are scared of vertical

high-rise development due to

anti-vertical development

campaigns in the past.

As Dr. Nadeem advocated a

walking cycling communities

without vehicular transit

modes, Mr. Nadeem added

in response that every mode

has a scale limit so a mix of

different transit modes is

desired and TOD addresses it

all. It was further added by

him that vertical compact

“At present Pakistan

has 90 Million Youth

(below the age 20),

does our planning sys-

tem address to pro-

vide them opportuni-

ties such as education,

jobs, social inclu-

sion…?” Dr. Nadeem


P A G E 6

development also enhances en-

ergy efficiency and resource con-

servation. Dr. Khalid Farooq also

supported vertical mixed used

development in light of basic prin-

ciples of environmentally sustain-

able development. Mr. Adeel

Anwar shared his professional

experiences of Sweden. He also

strongly advocated mixed use

high-rise development in Paki-

stani cities. Ms. Kiran Shahzadi

described the efforts made by

Punjab Urban Unit in regulating

and streamlining urban develop-

ment in Punjab. The chair urged

that Punjab Urban Unit must

adopt a pro-growth vision devel-

opment in Pakistani cities. Ms.

Kiran Shahzadi briefed the efforts

made by Punjab Urban Unit in

regulating and streamlining ur-

ban development in Punjab. The

chair urged that Punjab Urban

Unit must adopt a pro-growth

vision as stated in Pakistan New

Growth Strategy. Meeting ended

with an agreement that urban

planners and policy makers must

join hands to achieve the goal of

economic development through

transformation of creative cities

vision into a physical reality.

IPP meets Dr. Nadeem ul Haq contd...

DCO Noorul Amin Mengal,

the committee will be head-

ed by Mr Aslam Mughal

(President, Institute of Plan-

ners Pakistan) whereas Ms.

Ume Laila Naqvi (District

Officer, Spatial Planning) will

be secretary of the com-

mittee.

Other members include

Waseem Ahmad Khan (Chief

Metropolitan Planner, LDA),

Mahmood Tamana (CDGL’s

The City District Government

of Lahore on August 13th 2012,

constituted an 11-member com-

mittee to control mushroom

growth of private housing

schemes on agriculture zone/

green areas and for making rec-

ommendations for declaration

of Peri-Urban areas through

initiating a necessary consulta-

tion with all stakeholders.

According to a notification is-

sued by CDGL Administrator/

Municipal Services EDO), town

officers (Planning and Coordina-

tion, Nishtar and Iqbal Towns),

an Urban Unit representative,

Riaz Ahmad Chohan (Chief exec-

utive of Urban Developers) and

urban experts Asif Kamal, Sahir

Rasheed and Samee Bin Haneef.

The committee will float pro-

posals for marking boundaries of

Peri-Urban areas of the city dis-

trict irrespective of the con-

trolled areas of the CDG and

LDA.

President IPP heads a committee constituted by CDG, Lahore….


P A G E 7

Students Corner…..

Classes started:

The classes started from

3rd September in the uni-

versity. The classes of 3rd,

5th and 7th semester start-

ed, having a quite a lot

concentration of students.

Presentation of Ph.d of

Niaz Ahmed:

On the 10th of September,

there was a presentation

of the research work done

in thesis. All students and

teachers were invited. It

was an interactive session

in which many teachers

and students asked vari-

ous questions and it was

successfully defended by

Mr. Niaz Ahmed.

World Habitat Day:

Students of DCRP ar-

ranged an interactive ses-

sion of co-curricular activi-

ties regarding the World

Habitat day on 1st October

2012. It was a quite suc-

cessful function involving

quiz, speeches and tech-

nical discussions. The stu-

dents of all sessions par-

ticipated in the competi-

tion and after a tough

competition the team of

2009 session won. In the

function, there were

speeches by students,

President IPP Mr. Aslam

Mughal and a representa-

tive of Un-Habitat as well.

The coordination and

management of the Stu-

dent Chapter was appre-

ciable.

News around…..

Lawyers seek ban

on Secretary’s entry

In CDA….

Islamabad High

Court (IHC) reserved

the order on petition

seeking restriction on

secretary cabinet for

entering the premises

of Capital Development

Authority CDA and from

interfering into its

affairs. IHC Justice, Mu-

hammad Azim Khan

Afridi took up the peti-

tion from petitioner,

advocate Tariq Asad

who alleged that the

secretary cabinet,

Nargis Sethi is an obsta-

cle in development of

federal capital Islama-

bad. He pointed out

that summaries regard-

ing seeking approvals of

various development

projects are pending

with the secretary cabi-

net and she deliberate-

ly or inefficiently de-

layed the approvals and

she also intervene in

posting and transfer

We will neglect

our cities to

our peril,

for in ne-

glecting

them we

neglect the

nation.

((John F.

Kennedy )


P A G E 8

matters of CDA that is

against article 4 of the

constitution. Hence-

forth he requested for

banning her entrance in

CDA and for taking dis-

ciplinary action against

her. (ref/epaper.dawn.com).

City to have

four automated

parking plazas….

The Lahore Park-

ing company on Mon-

day entered in the

agreement with City

District Government of

Lahore (CDGL) for con-

structing four state-of-

the-art automated park-

ing plazas at four prime

and busy localities of

provincial metropolis.

District Co-ordination

Officer/CDGL Adminis-

trator Noor ul Amin

Mengal and LPC Chair-

man Hafiz Muhammad

Nauman signed the

agreement on behalf of

their organizations. Un-

der this agreement, the

LPC would be responsi-

ble for the construction

of automated parking

plazas at Allama Iqbal

Town’s Moon Market,

Liberty Market, Hafeez

Center in Gulberg and

Barkat Market in Gar-

den Town. LPC would

give 75% of its profit

share to CDGL against

utilization of is re-

sources and this project

is with collaboration of

Turkish experts. (ref/

epaper.dawn.com)

LDA plugs col-

ony’s “Illegal” trunk

sewer line…..

The Lahore Develop-

ment Authority (LDA)

plugged the entire sew-

erage system of the

EME-DHA housing

scheme at Link Canal

(Multan Road) after the

latter started draining

out its sewage/rain wa-

ter through sewer lines

of LDA-Avenue 1. Both

the parties reportedly

reached a state of con-

frontation when the lo-

cal police officials inter-

vened in the matter

after the LDA admin-

istration complained

them about registration

of a case against the

EME society for reopen-

ing the trunk sewer line

and disposing water

through avenue-1 sew-

er system. EME officials

argued that they had an

agreement with LDA to

use this sewer till Ave-

nue-1 construction but

now after that they are

not provided by any al-

ternative and they are

IPP congratulates Mr.

Niaz Ahmad (Assistant

Professor, University

of Peshawar) on suc-

cessful completion of

his PhD degree from

DCRP, UET, Lahore...


P A G E 9

Mr. Amir Safdar, Mr.

Ansar Inayat, Mr.

Shair Ali & Ms.

Maryum Kazmi have

joined Lahore Parking

Company as Assistant

Managers. IPP con-

gratulates them all

and wish them a won-

derful career ahead….

ready to pay tax for us-

ing it. But local police

reportedly stopped EME

management from

draining sewerage

through Avenue-1 sew-

er lines. (ref/

epaper.dawn.com).

LDA denied

plots despite LHC

orders…

As many as 24 Christian

families appealed to

Chief Minister to direct

the Lahore Develop-

ment Authority to give

them alternative plots

earmarked for them

after the demolition of

their houses. According

to them, they were dis-

placed after the LDA

acquired land of their

Bhekewal Christian Col-

ony, Nizam Block, and

Wahdat Road in 1992.

Later CM allotted 3

Marla plots to them.

They said that they have

paid the price and de-

velopment charges of

the plots at the rate of

Katchi Abadi charges

but they have not been

given their possession

despite the passage of

two decades. Their rep-

resentative, Dr. Yaqoob

Bhatti told that they

have submitted applica-

tion twice in last 3

months but LDA has di-

rectly refused the con-

struction of housing so-

ciety.(ref/paper.dawn.com)

Land grabbers

occupy fort….

A gang of land grabbers

reportedly backed by

some influential people

have occupied the re-

mains of the 14th centu-

ry Kalakot Fort (great

fort) on Makli hill off

Ghulam ullah Road,

three miles from Thatta,

according to locals and

members of civil socie-

ty. The land grabbers

accompanied by dozens

of laborers and tractors

landed at the site a few

days ago. They have

pumped a dry moat (a

defensive ditch sur-

rounding a castle and

usually filled with wa-

ter) around the fort and

started ploughing it to

sow some crops and

eventually usurp it. The

lake was spread over

160 acres when it was

developed and it was

encircled by trees, said

historians and archaeol-

ogists. According to ar-

ea people, a number of

precious relics and stat-

ues of Hindu gods were

also missing from a

temple near fort. (ref/

epaper.dawn.com).


P A G E 1 0

DHA: Court sets

aside a previous or-

der...

A division bench of Lahore

High Court on Thursday sus-

pended the order of a single

bench that declared illegal ac-

quisition of 9,996 Kanal of

land for DHA Phase 2 exten-

sion in different villages, in-

cluding Daducha where Pun-

jab Government has planned

to construct a water reservoir

for the garrison city. In an ear-

lier decision LHC Justice Sha-

hid Saeed on June 21 , while

hearing 20 petitions of affect-

ed villagers, had set aside the

acquisition of land in areas of

Kahota, Kallar Syedan and Ra-

walpindi tehsil by Punjab gov-

ernment in 2006, for Army

Welfare Housing Society later

DHA. The single bench de-

clared the acquisition unlawful

because there was no public

purpose involved in obtaining

the land saying the land was

only being obtained for DHA

that is a housing scheme eye-

ing only on profit and so he

imposed section 4 and 144 in

Daducha and by areas to stop

encroachment and construc-

tion of housing society. (ref/

epaper.dawn.com).

LTC bus opera-

tion reviewed….

The Lahore Transport Company

(LTC) claimed to in company’s

performance review meeting

to have run as many as 400

new modern buses in the city

after getting them manufac-

tured and imported from Chi-

na. The event was attended by

LTC’s Chief LTC Chairman and

Chief Minister’s Adviser Kha-

waja Ahmad Haaan as presi-

dent; others include LTC’s Chief

Executive Officer Khawaja

Haider Latif, General Managers

(Communication/Marketing

and Finance) Amjad Hussain

and Mariam Khawar, Deputy

General Manager (Operations)

Tanweer Saddiqi and other

senior officers. The chairman

told about that LTC has in-

stalled GPS system in all vehi-

cles, made fully equipped con-

trol room to monitor busses,

evolvement of new mechanism

for route permit and implanta-

tion of student transport green

card scheme. (ref/

epaper.dawn.com).

IPP's Executive Council in its recent meeting in Lahore on October 01, 20122 has approved its two new region-

al chapters. One is IPP (KPK) Khyber Pukhtoon Khwa Chapter which shall be headed by Mr. Sallahuddin as

Chairperson (Director Planning, Provincial Housing Authority, Peshawar) and other is IPP International Chapter,

for which Dr. Imran Muhammad (Senior Lecturer, Massy University, New Zealand) has be nominated as chair-

person. Both chapter heads will choose their consensus Secretaries and Executive Members in due course. IPP

EC extends heartiest greetings and hope these chapters will help IPP uplifting the planning community in the

leadership of these distinguished professionals. Best wishes…...

IPP EC approves two new regional chapters…...


P A G E 1 1

Urban Regeneration: An option for Sustainable Urban Develop-

ment in Pakistan:

The world’s future is urban, human settlements in Pakistan are profoundly transform-

ing into urban centers of various sizes. The unprecedented rate of urbanization in Pa-

kistan estimated at 3.1% annual rate of change (2010-15), noticeably unmanaged and

uncontrollable which is resulting in ugly urban form and pattern of urban areas across

the country. Lack of poor regulatory options and planning frameworks further pro-

mote squatting pattern of urban areas and cities in Pakistan. Wherever little planning

guidelines are available, are actually in support of urban expansion such as promoting

encroachment onto peri-urban areas, which in fact have fertile agricultural lands in

many cases and are contributing to maintaining ecological footprints of the urban

settlements and cities. The invasion onto peri-urban areas results into squatted-

shape, unwanted commuting, food-security, environmental problems etc. In addition

to huge infrastructure requirement and investments.

At the same time the urban morphological pattern of our cities keep on changing out-

wards, a few areas such as central areas (inner cities), villages engulfed by urban ex-

pansion, industrial properties present in urban core and large parcels of public lands

are happen to be seen as blighted areas, which in fact carry a mighty potential for en-

livening the urban centers. There has not been much noticeable work done in past on

urban regeneration in Pakistan which actually carries the potential of city-recycling.

Urban regeneration is now the most-wanted tool of urban development which has

success stories of sustainable development in some countries, whereby old, blighted

and under-served areas are being symbolically transformed into livable spaces with

options of conservation, land use injection and replacement, densification, tourism,

business and community development.

Regeneration if applied in Pakistan can not only rejuvenate sustainable socio-

economic and physical change in our cities but also fulfill the existing and future hous-



We shape

our

buildings,

thereaf-

ter they

shape us.

(Winston

Churchill )

ing needs. This will also help in saving prime agricultural land surrounding the cities especially the big

cities such as Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan etc. Regeneration activities can bring in the cultural and her-

itage values to the project areas in addition to the socio-economic development.

Why Urban Regeneration is needed for Pakistani Cities?

As our cities are portray following characteristics, which require urban regeneration initiatives to ad-

dress such issues like : Decaying urban neighborhoods, crime & socially fragmented communities, en-

vironmental problems at city and local level, local economic development issues, mismatched land

use integration, population growth and high demand for housing, inadequate and miss-located pub-

lic facilities and amenities.

How Urban Regeneration Can Happen in Pakistan?

Urban regeneration can either come up as a policy whereby some regulation is framed-out which le-

gally obligate the municipalities and local governments to execute urban regeneration projects under

their jurisdictions or urban regeneration projects are identified under the city master plans. The

better approach is to integrate the both options in coherence with other policies and regulations. An

executing agency may be set up under the already functioning Development Authorities, LG &RD De-

partment or Housing Department to specially undertake the urban regeneration projects in selected

cities.

Factors for Successful Urban Regeneration Projects:

Following factors are highly important to consider for the urban regeneration projects:

Institutional roles and responsibilities of Executing and Coordinating Agencies.

Financial mechanism & assurance either from public sector, development aid agencies funding,

public-private partnership or purely private sector investment.

Professional Staff and Government’s Commitment.

Implementation:

The projects master plans preparation and execution can be done through:

A public agency – such as Development Authority, TMA, Public Works Department.

Private Firms (Consultancy & Contractor).

Public-Private Partnership.

A Non-Profit Civil Organization such as IPP.

Muhammad Shoaib is working as Urban Regeneration expert in Kingdom of Bahrain

P A G E 1 2 V O L U M E 1 1 , I S S U E I I I


P A G E 1 3

The Metro Bus System or BRT in Lahore: Excitements, fears and

suggestions

The level of suc-

cess of BRT de-

pends on the de-

sign of the BRT

system, the insti-

tutions responsi-

ble for manag-

ing the system,

and the policies

used to integrate

BRT investment

with land use

and wider urban

development.

The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has emerged as a leading mode of public transport in-

vestment both in developed and developing countries. In the last few decades,

over 120 cities in Latin America, North America, Europe, Oceania, Africa and now

Asia have implemented BRT projects, and many more are at various stages of plan-

ning and construction. However, the level of success of BRT depends on the design

of the BRT system, the institutions responsible for managing the system, and the

policies used to integrate BRT investment with land use and wider urban develop-

ment. Therefore, the Lahore Metro Bus System or BRT deserves scholarly and pro-

fessional discussion to ensure this project will be successful. Certainly, this project

has the potential to make long lasting positive or negative impacts, not only on La-

hore, but also to set a direction for other cities in Pakistan.

Generally, BRT refers to large-scale bus-based public transport systems

serving a city or corridor on dedicated bus lanes and ultimately attaining fast

speeds by providing high frequency and high passenger carrying capacity vehicles.

BRT is also associated with articulated buses, enhanced stations, smart-card based

fare collection systems, and intelligent transport systems and distinctive images.

BRT is preferred to heavy rail and light rail investments due to service and infra-

structure flexibility and low cost.

The success of BRT lies in its surface operation, which generate minimal in-

frastructure costs and higher levels of flexibility but it is not easy to provide dedi-

cated bus lanes on existing roads for BRT because of competing demand from cars

and other modes of transport (such as freight transport and motorcycles) for ex-

isting road space. However, the surface operation of BRT can become a mechanism

for Transport Demand Management (TDM) which involves a combination of carrots



P A G E 1 4

(incentives for buses by reallocating road space) and sticks (disincentives for

private vehicles by taking away road space). Alternatively, grade-separated

structures (bus flyovers and underpasses) for BRT can provide more space for

private vehicles and encourage more people to drive due to reduced congestion

levels on existing roads.

Surface BRT systems are simple to integrate with pedestrians, feeder buses and

adjacent land uses. In an example from a developing country, Curitiba in Brazil

adopted a surface BRT system which was extensively integrated with feeder bus

services and land uses to achieve sustainable urban development. Ottawa in

Canada provides an example of a developed country with a reputation for oper-

ating one of the most extensive and efficient BRT systems primarily using sur-

face bus lanes. Since intersections generally cause the most delays for surface

BRT, bus priority signals and ITS techniques are deployed to reduce the delays

at intersections. In such system, investment has been made in the operation of

the BRT system rather than in the BRT infrastructure.

Surface BRT systems provide catalyst for land development as is well demon-

strated in Curitiba and to a lesser extent in Ottawa. Property near BRT stations

and corridors becomes desirable for redevelopment due to its proximity to the

system with consequent saving in time spent for commuting. In Curitiba, land

along BRT corridors is zoned for mixed use and high density development, pro-



P A G E 1 5

moting a linear urban growth area as shown in Figure 1.

Throughout the world, almost all BRT infrastructures have been financed by nation-

al or provincial governments, managed by a dedicated BRT or transport authority

within the city government. However, a wide range of public, public-private and

private ownership models have been observed in BRT operational services. In par-

ticular, the customer directed services such as fare collection, station management,

security, maintenance and ITS have been outsources to private companies. Many

BRT projects in the world are facing institutional challenges from regulatory, organi-

zational, operational, and financing and procurement policies due to the presence

of multiple institutional and operational stakeholders.

BRT is a promising strategy for improving travel condition in Lahore. A BRT system

will certainly have a positive impact on peoples’ travel satisfaction in Lahore due to

the high speed, reliability and comfort, that has been absent from the existing sys-

tem for a long time. However, it is necessary to address the design, operational and

institutional challenges facing BRT in Lahore at a very early stage. For example, BRT

in Lahore will be compromised by poor and inflexible designs (including the 9.6 km

of bus flyovers, several bus underpasses and 34 pedestrian overhead bridges) which

ultimately diminish BRTs superiority as a low cost and flexible solution over light or

heavy rail.

The current design causes the wider urban problems of resettlement of large num-

bers of people and businesses as is evident from many newspaper reports. This re-

settlement damages existing social and economic networks with losses for many

and few gains. This type of damage can be mitigated by conducting social and eco-

nomic impact assessment studies of the project.

Detailed EIA studies (brief mention of EIA is made in PC1) should find ways to ad-

dress visual pollution of bus flyovers, safety and security issues, and threats to sen-



P A G E 1 6

sitive heritage sites, caused by the current design. The current design will also

provide generous road spaces for cars and motorcycles by eliminating buses

and widening existing roads. This would encourage motorization and high

speeds for private vehicles’ and cause road crashes, safety issues for pedestri-

ans, and high pollution and transport energy consumption level. This issue

should be addressed in an EIA report.

Overhead pedestrian bridges and elevated stations would make it inconvenient

for people to access BRT services, and could cause extreme crowding problems

during peak times. They would also cause problems in coordinating feeder ser-

vices and transferring passengers from other services to the BRT. These prob-

lems can be minimized by providing electric escalators for pedestrians. Howev-

er, a continuous electricity supply and proper maintenance would be required.

Providing escalators would increase costs but would minimize inconvenience to

pedestrians.

Efficient BRT systems do not require government operational subsidies and

even in South American cities are running at a profit. However, due to the high

construction and maintenance costs associated with BRT infrastructure in La-

hore, it will probably charge high fares which will discourages use by lower in-

come people, ultimately generating lower than expected ridership. To generate

lower fares, the government would need to heavily subsidize the system. One

solution to make BRT financially sustainable is to develop a network approach

which ensures efficiency and superiority of public transport system throughout

in Lahore.

The elevated sections of a BRT system in Lahore could negatively impact indi-

vidual property values due to noise, air pollution from diesel engines, visual pol-

lution, privacy, security and safety issues. These issues can only be addressed by

changing the land use regulation of the LDA and CDG to favor bus based high

density transit oriented development (TOD). The land use policy and regulations



P A G E 1 7

in Lahore should support BRT based high density TOD for conceptual diagram in

Figure 2.

The research shows that private developers are willing to invest in land devel-

opment on high quality transit corridors, particularly if local governments as-

semble and acquire land, and prepare a creative station or corridor Master

plan. Therefore, it is important to develop a shared vision of the BRT corridor in

Lahore and prepare an urban regeneration master plan for a BRT corridor. Local

communities should be involved along with property developers, financial ana-

lyst, urban planners and architects to develop a business case for land develop-

ment around each station. The high density TOD along a BRT corridor ultimately

generates more ridership to sustain a BRT system. It will help to transform

Ferozepur Road and Ravi Road into a new and desirable high density residential



P A G E 1 8

and commercial area.

There is a great demand of BRT in other part of Lahore as well as other cities in

Punjab. Therefore, it is important to overhaul planning and transport institu-

tions to accommodate BRT projects in Punjab. A Punjab BRT Authority under

the Urban Unit or the Transport Department should be established to provide

policy level guidelines for investment, regulations and procurement. Several

Master Plans and studies proposed a Metropolitan Transport Authority (MTA)

and its subsidiary Public Transport Agency (PTA) for the metropolitan cities in

Punjab. It is the right time to establish a MTA and PTA in Lahore by merging the

Traffic Engineering and Transport Planning Agency (TEPA), the Lahore Transport

Company (LTC) and the District Regional Transport Authority (DRTA) and to

bring the transport and road functions of the City District Government (CDG)

and Tehsil Municipal Administrations (TMAs) into one dedicated transport or-

ganization. The capacity of LDA/CDG should be developed to work collabora-

tively with the MTA and PTA to make BRT based TOD happen.

I conclude that an appropriately designed BRT system offers high quality

transport services, low costs and has a positive impact on socio-economic, envi-

ronmental and land development. To maximize the benefit of the Metro Bus

System in Lahore, a) undesirable impacts of BRT design should be addressed, b)

BRT must be used as a tool to shape high density land use development and c)

the capacity of transport and land use institutions at provincial and city level

should be developed.

Dr. Muhammad Imran

Dr. Muhammad Imran is Senior Lecturer in the Planning program at Massey University, New Zealand and author of a book ‘Institutional barri-ers to sustainable urban transport in Pakistan’ published by Ox-ford University Press. Email: [email protected].


P A G E 1 9

1st October is observed

as UN World Habitat Day

every year. Different or-

ganizations, NGOs and

institutions arrange dis-

cussions, conferences

and different technical

sessions on this day. This

year a seminar was orga-

nized at DCRP UET, La-

hore. It was a joint event

by IPP, DCRP and UN-

Habitat. President IPP

Aslam Mughal, Provin-

cial Manager UN Habitat

Mr. Riaz and Chairman

CRP Department Dr.

Ghulam Abbas Anjum

were the guests of hon-

or. Ex. DG LDA Sheikh

Abdul Rasheed, Prof Ab-

dul Sattar Sikandar,

teachers from CRP De-

partment including Dr.

Mohammad Asim, Dr.

Zareen Shahid and large

number of professionals

and students from de-

partment also attended

the seminar. At first

there was a quiz pro-

gram among the stu-

dents. Then Dr. Zareen

Shahid shared her views

about importance of UN

Habitat Day. Syed Mu-

hammad Nabi from 3rd

year represented the

students. He basically

discussed that being a

town planner sustaina-

bility approach must be

practiced in cities with a

motto of shelter for all.

After that Dr. Asim was

invited. As a disaster

management specialist,

he discussed that how

natural disasters are de-

structing the habitats of

mankind.

Giving the examples of

disasters in Pakistan

(Earthquake 2005 and

flood of 2010) he said,

“We cannot decrease

the frequency of natural

disasters but the im-

pact. Poor people suffer

the most from such dis-

asters so they should be

provided with the better

housing”.

(CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE)

UN World Habitat Day organized jointly by IPP, DCRP & UN-

Habitat…...


P A G E 2 0

for suggestions & feedback: [email protected]

[email protected]

Mr. Riaz shared his feel-

ings when he was a UET

student. He told that 22

nations including Paki-

stan work with UN Habi-

tat by following their

theme for research

work. This year theme is

“Engines of Economic

Growth-The Changing

cities”. He told the jour-

ney story of UN Habitat

that how they dealt

with increased urbani-

zation of cites. Last year

two major contributions

by UN Habitat includes

a book named “State of

the World’s Cities” ;

that included Lahore as

a major city; and organi-

zation of event “World

Urban Forum”. Presi-

dent IPP Mr. Aslam

Mughal talked about

the increasing urbaniza-

tion of Pakistan that is

more than of India. He

said that in next 38

years, 87 million popu-

lations will be added to

our cities. The urbaniza-

tion must be actively

facilitated. For larger

middle class population,

business opportunities

should be enhanced. He

added that our prob-

lems will be solved if we

invite private sector. In

the end Dr. Ghulam Ab-

bas Anjum briefly told

about themes of UN

Habitat of every year

from 1986 till now. He

emphasized that active

working of town plan-

ners will strengthen IPP.

Town planners work on

rules and regulations

that were created in

Britain in 1920 but were

later adopted here in

1940 .

He discussed the inno-

vation in town planning

system as now Struc-

ture Plans are formulat-

ed rather than Land-use

map. Similarly he said

that Peri-Urban use

should be considered

instead of suburban use

as all land uses are

standardized now.

Overall the event was

highly informative and

such events must be

organized so that young

generation could share

the wisdom and

knowledge of seniors

and field experts.


Documents

IPP NEWSLETTER sept oct 2012.pdf · (Observer), Mr. Izhar ul Haq (Observer), Mr. Ghulam Asghar Malik (Observer), Mr. Shakil Anjum Minhas (Observer) & Dr. Khalid Farooq Akbar (Observer)