Earlier this week, one was delighted to receive an invite from the government of the Punjab to attend the Pakistan Urban Forum scheduled to be held soon in Lahore. It is indeed an ambitious statement we make by hosting a national event for such an important issue in our most celebrated city. For all the inherent audacity, one would assume that the built environment in the provincial headquarters of the Punjab has much to offer aspiring urban areas all across the nation. And perhaps rightly so. For not only does Punjab have the population density that can be hammered and shaped into some sort of economic powerhouse, no other province has taken such bold steps in its affairs and survived to regale us with stories of hits and (several more) misses.
An agenda which reads like the tasting menu at El Bulli makes for a real showcase for all things urban and one can’t wait to attend. Being a development professional with several years of experience dealing with urbanisation, neither can one wait to speculate or surmise over what will emerge from this event? That answer depends altogether on what is being put into it.
The Urban Forum seems to be an event for the Punjab government to highlight its achievements and discuss hindrances, impediments, opportunities and threats to the local and regional urban economy. Spread over five days of seminars, workshops, speakers and dozing delegates, one would think there was much to say and share–even if a bit prematurely. For its good to blow a trumpet when one first has a trumpet.
As an attendee of the Punjab Development Forums several years ago, one has grown to appreciate the need to touch base with our partners in development and measure our achievements in attaining goals. Occurring over two years, the Development Forum showcased initiatives and key issues faced by the government at the regional level. Urbanisation invariably found a place at the Development Forum but with the present condition of urban services, infrastructure and facilities under the new administration in the Punjab, is it possible that measurable change is being replaced with quantified rhetoric?
While the present status of cities in the Punjab is hardly something to aspire to, it is hoped that the upcoming Urban Forum is a platform for catharsis. For we have been traveling down the rabbit hole so long, it sometimes seems as if weve forgotten how deep it really is. At a time when governments around the world are recognising the efficiencies of leveraging private sector finance initiatives into the urban economy, the Punjab has gone the other way by scaring off investors with demolition drives, incoherent planning and commercialisation policies, and worst of allindecision. Previous administrations have indeed attempted to woo investors to help develop the urban environment, but sadly the institutional landscape of Punjab is littered with stories of insecurity, macro-economic instability and violence.
Instead of being a hotbed of socio-economic activity, the Punjab today seems to be stuck in limbo. Faced with loose controls and lack of transparency and accountability, only informality and irregularity thrive in these conditions. So perhaps, the Punjab needs to speak less and listen more. This is important if the Urban Forum is to be a learning event but we all know there is no shortage of people who like to hear the sound of their own voice. It would be refreshing to have the voice of the citizens dominate the Urban Forum. For the foreign experts being flown in to make a presentation cant hold a candle to the eloquence and pragmatism of our inhabitants when they communicate their grievances.
Perhaps the biggest problem with the Urban Forum is its tendency to reiterate the top down approach we all have grown to loathe. Instead of bringing relevant individuals to Lahore, would the government have considered taking the Urban Forum to the people? For it seems citizens have never gotten the chance to vent their grievancesleading to many unhappy outbursts of rage at public events that glorify our cities. The event may be more meaningful if the lowest common denominator of the populationeach and every union councilcould have a forum for the inhabitants to share their experiences, to learn from each other, and to register their preferences. Perhaps the Urban Forum also needs to highlight the importance of the rural hinterland, and the agriculture and livestock sectors which power our urban areas and are the mainstay of Pakistans economy.
As with the Punjab Development Forum, the true test of the Urban Forum will be in its recurrence and continuity over the years. If this is simply a one-off event with no possibility or scope for reviewing our achievements next year, then the money will be poorly spent. One can only hope that if the quality of the speakers is not top-notch, the lunch menu certainly is. See you there.
The writer is a consultant on public policy.
