Roles and Responsibilities of Urban Planners to Address the Issues of Built-up areas in Pakistan

Abstract

Town planning is defined as the art and science of ordering the use of land and the character and siting of buildings and communication routes so as to secure the maximum practicable degree of economy,convenience, health and beauty. So is the role of urban planners to manage and maintain this for the sustainability of the cities. They look for the present conditions of their surroundings and work to improve them and add new additions if required. But Unfortunately, lately, Pakistan lack planners in their said roles and responsibilities. The planners are not consulted before most of the urban development projects, thereby ignoring and not coordinating with various planning departments, the decisions of the government will become nothing but a blot on the future of already blighted cities. Hence there is a dire need to empower the planning profession in order to improve the urban contexts of our country. Sharing the field knowledge via hands-on workshops is a solution to better engage planners and help policymakers to internalize the findings. The Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of Management and Technology have gathered planners from all over Pakistan and asked for major planning issues and their subsequent suggestions to resolve these issues. Highlighted in the workshop, most of the core problems are related to housing, transportation, and sustainable development. The paper is basically to channel the findings of a workshop aiming at fostering discussions on urban issues among the professionals who're the ultimate stakeholders. Focusing on a multidimensional urban phenomenon, the paper aims to deepen the understanding of contemporary urban issues in Pakistan, leading toward the solutions to be adopted by government officials to advance progress and sustainability ultimately