Urbanization is the modern trend of today’s
globalized world which is making a very rapid progress with the support of
everyday innovative technology. Since the technology and accessibility through
globalization anywhere globally sitting in the corner of your room is making
wonders remarkably. This new tradition of modernization is prompting people to
leave their homes and to get exposure to the world. As everything comes
naturally with positives and negatives, one wants to see how this big change is
affecting our world. Asia is the most potential continent where we can see the
peak of urbanization. This paper examines different aspects of urbanization
which the industrial cities of Pakistan are adopting as fashion on competing
basis.
Urban
Population in Major Urban Cities of Pakistan
Over the last three
decades a shift has been observed in demographic picture of most countries in
Asia Region. Big industrial cities tend to figure the significant percentage of
urban population of their respective country. For instance, more than one half
of urban population lives in Bangkok in case of Thailand, for countries like Korea,
Bangladesh & Philippines one third of urban population in their major
cities. And this figure of urban population turns down to 20% of nation’s urban
population in case of Jakarta, Istanbul, Karachi and Tehran.
Why people choose to live in cities rather than staying in rural areas or
suburbs? What is a city? City is place with all the ingredients needed for
modern world. It has advanced transportation, high rise buildings, global
exposure, business opportunities, best educational, health and recreational
amenities which are enough to attract anyone who wants to improve living. City houses a
variety of people with different social and personal profile. Some of them
include like businessmen, employing people, school children, old people, house
wives, disable persons, tourists (temporary users of the city) and all these
profiles further classifies into rich and poor which ultimately forms up the
need for shelter and housing. Unfortunately, the common trend to see in
developing country is the excess of poverty and wealth both. A picture of
economic inequality can be well captured in low-income or middle-income
countries. The poor is so poor and rich is so rich. A tradition of extremes has
always been a part of such states. Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Rawalpindi and
Faisalabad are the rapidly urbanizing cities of the country.
Housing Methods:
Overview of Issues & Problems in Major Urban Cities of Pakistan
Of course the urbanization cannot be
stopped because no country can afford to stop in the growth of economic
development. The issues and problems of housing would continue to grow if they
are not tackled properly on time. If the existing settlements of urban poor are
addressed with proper planning and management, then the proper implementation
of planning policies under the charge of good governance can make possible the
dream of affordable or formal housing settlements for the urban poor.
Based on rough estimate, during the year
2004 Pakistan was experiencing a deficiency of six million housing settlements
and this figure has been growing since then. According to World Bank Data,
in 2009 this shortfall has become even larger up to 8 million housing units.
Within the small time period of 5 years the gap became broader by addition of 2
million houses for urban poor. This major difference
between requirement and delivering in large cities is making people to adapt to
poor quality shelter settlements on the periphery of cities far away from the
urban centers. According to estimates the annual incremental demand is 600,000 units, of
which 50% is met by the private/public investment (Ahmad, 2012).
Urban
poor left with no option other than poor means of living. It is only way out to
most poor to live in inadequate housing settlements near the city centers to fulfill
their need for accommodation and employment (Bunnarith, 2004). This gap is
fulfilled by them through substandard living in form of slums, squatters,
informal settlements and bulk living in inner cities.The government of Pakistan classifies informal
settlements only in two forms which are: katchi abadis (squatter settlements)
and slums.
Slums
Slum is usually used
for informal settlements with poor living conditions and inadequate infrastructure facilities. According to UN-HABITAT definition, slum refers to group of people
living under one roof in an urban setting which lack permanent housing, or
enough live able space, or provision of drinking water and proper sanitation
system. Migrants adding up to the urban population in big cities left with two options:
the rich ones get the formal shelter in well infrastructure societies while the
poor ones indulge in slums and peripheral sites of capital. Slums are being well
occupied in large urbanized cities of Pakistan. The mass volumes of such
settlements can be observed easily after few kilometers. Slums can be further
divided into two categories:
·
Traditional
pre-independence settlements which got populated with time period and their
existing infrastructure is not more fulfilling the present and future demands.
·
Old
villages, transformed into informal densely populated working inner city area,
presently contributing to urban collapse, within or near the city center which
now transformed into formal settlement.
Prime
locations of Slums are present near a lot of well developed housing societies
such as DHA, Johar town, Cavalry ground as well as on the periphery of the
Lahore City like Ravi Road, entry & exit routes.
Katchi
Abadis (Squatter Settlements)
Globally speaking
squatter settlement is the informal housing developed on ill legal land. Its an
unlawful residency spot. In Pakistan, such type of settlements through
squatting comes under the term ‘Katchi Abadis’ is being understood by everyone
on national level. Katchi Abadis like slums at national level can be further
subdivided into two types:
Authorized katchi abadis: such type of settlements
are marked by government through 99-year rent and local government is
responsible for infrastructure development
Unauthorized katchi abadis: Such settlements are not
legalized as they are in demand for development by private or government
sector.
Gap between demand and supply of Adequate Housing
- Planning Policies with
limited perspective of demand
- Cost
of land too expansive
- Lack
of partnership among concerned domains
- Inadequate
participation of communities
- Insecurity of Land tenure
