Urbanisation is destined to play a significant role in the development of any nation. One major signal of economic and social prosperity in a country is the existence and sustenance of competitive urban centers. Emerging markets of today heavily realize this pertinent role and strive towards building cities that would not only support their bustling economies in the present but would also prove to be major contributors in maintaining future growth. Pakistan is not far behind in recognizing that urbanisation is a vital step for developing countries in all aspects.
According to the Economic Survey of Pakistan 2010-11, Pakistan is determined on the path of urbanisation with an annual urban growth rate of 2.97 per cent in 2010 and 37 per cent of population living in cities. It is also expected that half of Pakistan’s population will be residing in urban areas by 2030. The economic survey also boasts about how our nation’s level of urbanisation is the highest in the South Asian region. On the contrary, our nation is greatly lacking on policies that will thrust the growing urban population in the right direction.
The quality of urbanisation taking place is as much essential as any quantitative figures signifying growth and development. Alongside, cities also need to deliver high on a promise towards being major contributors in taking the nation forward. What exactly do we mean by quality of urbanisation in this regard? As cities grow in size and number, so do the challenges pertaining to them. Pollution affecting the health of urban residents, traffic problems resulting in unnecessary delays, rising income disparities fueling higher levels of crime and a limited growth in employment opportunities are just some of these onerous challenges.
The aim should not be to just have a larger urban population and be satisfied with the progress. Our aim should be to build global cities that have the ability to compete with others at international levels. As climate change and global warming tend to direct policies in developed countries towards a more responsible approach in reducing their carbon footprint, developing nations have a chance to design frameworks that already incorporate such requirements. Let us shed some light upon some fundamental aspects of a city we require to work upon. A higher proportion of urban population is not an end in itself.
It is equally, in fact, even more essential to generate adequate employment opportunities and raise standards of living. This rings especially true in the case of Pakistan as we have an ever growing young population that will move towards cities for jobs in the near future. Secondly, as incomes rise and businesses and cities expand, the number of vehicles on the roads reaches exorbitant levels. In order to deal with traffic issues, China had to go as far as allowing only even-numbered vehicles on the road on certain designated days and odd-numbered on the others. However, one of the most efficient and promising way to deal with such issues is the development of a well-functioning public transport system, aiming to encourage vehicle owners to utilize the service for commuting quickly. Thirdly, cities prove to be hubs of financial and corporate dealings. Each country focuses on a city or two (depending upon the size of the country) to be transformed and grown as a financial center with headquarters of local and international financial institutions, industrial units, economic zones and the cultivation of a healthy and attractive corporate culture.
Such cities also draw foreign interests and large levels of FDI as they act as a global window of the entire country. For Pakistan, that city is Karachi and is currently listed as the second most dangerous city of Asia. The nation, especially those directly involved in the economic framework, is aware of the costs it has borne and is continuing to bear due to the security situation. There have been innumerable calls upon the government to take drastic measures in light of worsening scenarios.
All we can do is hope that severe action in this regard is taken and is effective in curbing any acrimonious acts. Another major issue is that we often seem to lack appropriate future planning and accordance to changing scenarios, as we often build narrow roads without taking into account rising traffic levels and very soon have to dig them up and begin expansion. Such ad hoc policy making and implementation needs to take the back seat for us to develop an effective plan of action for the future and then carry out execution accordingly. Such actions are likely to save us on financial fronts, time and efforts and will also generate productive outcomes.
The writer is a freelance business journalist and can be reached upon mashal.amjad@gmail.com