ASSESSING URBAN RENEWAL SITES IN LAHORE
Rashid Ali1, Zeenat
Waqar2, Muhammad Ahmad3, Muhammad Rehan Sharif4
College of
Art & Design, Punjab University, Pakistan
[email protected]1,
[email protected]2, [email protected]3,
[email protected]4
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Cities try to adapt to the rapidly
changing global trends by updating themselves. In Pakistani cities,
particularly in the last decade, the practices, processes, and consequences of
urban renewal have sparked some debate. The 'new' space acquired or converted
in the city is also significant in terms of its impact on urban identity. In
this context, this research study aims to identify the effects of urban renewal
in various parts of the world, especially in Lahore, Pakistan. Method:
This study collects and analyzes quantitative and qualitative data. A method
that relies on GIS-based urban renewal site identification. Result:
Economic development in Lahore is not carried out well as almost 52% is
dominated by old buildings, 28% of the roads at the Renewal location are in an
abandoned condition, the quality of drinking water is low, and the inspection
of garbage on the streets that is not paid attention to illustrates that there
is no solid waste management system the good one. Conclusion: The
development of Lahore's renewal was not carried out properly because 60% of the
people lived in the Renewal site. The legacy of 27% of the local population was
not interested in regional development, so urban renewal tended to be ignored.
Keywords: Lahore, Urban Renewal, Urban Regeneration
Corresponding Author: Rashid Ali
E-mail: [email protected]
INTRODUCTION
Urban renewal refers to upgrading existing
city structure, function, setting, and environment. This is the process in
which the capacity and resistance of the city are transformed to prevent
deterioration and reform existing urban settings. Urban renewal is stably
designed to help improve the safety of our community and to re-determine/
repair, solve safety problems, and even protect from severe losses. In planning
and development, urban renewal, urban redevelopment, and urban regeneration
have similar meanings, albeit there are differences in scale (Wu, 2016).
Both urban renewal and urban regeneration
are large-scale projects. However, through various measures such as
redevelopment, rehabilitation, and heritage preservation, urban renewal or
regeneration strives to improve urban areas' physical, social-economic, and
ecological elements. The slum clearance and physical redevelopment process that
considers other factors, such as historic preservation, is known as urban
renewal (Ye et al.,
2021). Metropolitan regeneration, on the other
hand, is a holistic integration of vision and action aimed at resolving the
multi-faceted challenges plaguing poor urban areas to enhance their economic,
physical, social, and environmental situations (Hiremath
et al., 2013). Urban redevelopment, on the other hand,
is more specific and on a smaller scale, encompassing any new construction on a
site with pre-existing uses, such as the conversion of a block of townhouses
into a large apartment building (Roberts, 2000), while urban rehabilitation
entails restoring a building to good condition, operation, or capacity (Zheng et
al., 2014).
Urban renewal provides opportunities to
improve the quality of life by comparing degraded urban and deserted areas and
providing residents with green space for recreational purposes while
maintaining its quality and often expanding depletion places. Unfortunately,
the redevelopment of cities in Pakistan has been ignored. Although Pakistan has
a great demand for urban renewal, the government�s negligence, lack of
services, and misunderstanding hinder the adoption of urban renewal. In
developed countries, despite the design of a complicated urban renewal process.
Planners tend to consider on-site design
scale, but GIS covers all scales, bridging the gap between regional and local
environments. Potential problems such as population density and traffic
congestion, urbanization, social equity, affordability, and consumers
satisfaction� continued demand for conventional market segments cannot be
solved by one person or one profession alone; therefore, the use of GIS and its
service in urban renewal The reason for the integration of design tools to
obtain fruitful results. This research aims to identify potential sites for
urban renewal by using geospatial techniques in GIS. To review the literature
on the subject's importance and techniques for urban renewal, investigate the
existing physical and social infrastructure situation in the case study area,
and identify potential sites in the case study area requiring urban renewal
using GIS.
METHOD
Methods that rely on GIS-based urban renewal
site identification. This study is based on the gathering and analysis of
quantitative and qualitative data. This study used quantitative methods to
display the results in numbers and tables. In contrast, qualitative methods
were used to account for the views of various participants, including people and
government officials. To get relevant data, researchers will review primary and
secondary sources.
The research method is roughly divided into two parts: The first part
includes mapping drawing, the ground survey of existing conditions through the
application of different query operations to display the individual and summary
indicators of the problem in the research area; the survey data is converted
into a digital format, as an attribute of spatial data. On this basis, the
subject layer of each problem parameter can be generated using GIS. The results
show that GIS can easily link Queries, and spatial analysis may be readily done
using geographic and attribute data (Burrough et al., 2015). Therefore, GIS allows the creation of a
spatial reference database to determine the renewal site to be upgraded quickly.
The second part of the research involves the perception of people living in the
area, which helps to highlight its importance in effectively handling urban
renewal projects.
The case study area is the predetermined and specified location where the
project will be carried out. Any research study begins with this phase. The
goal is to ensure that the research objectives can only be met after the chosen
case study region. The study's goal is to find out what's going on in the world
of the old traditional buildings located near Islam Pura, Anarkali, and Walled
Cities. The oldest area in Lahore, selecting these areas for corresponding
research, contains British Hindu architecture from the 1930s and 1940s. This area
was chosen because of its historically significant pre-zoning buildings. Due to
a lack of attention to these buildings, most of them are deteriorating.
Therefore, this area was chosen as a case study location as part of the urban
revitalization process.
Figure 1. Map showing renewal sites of Lahore
The maps demonstrate the roads and streets
which are in bad condition. According to analysis, some parts have significant
problems, such as a depraved sewerage system, encroachment, etc. Most
residents, particularly motorcyclists and cyclists, cross the small streets to
reach their destinations while the rest, including motorists, turn to alternate
roads, which high rise issues in streets and jamming of traffic on major highways.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The term "urban renewal" (also
known as "urban regeneration" in the United Kingdom and "urban
redevelopment" in the United States) is frequently used to describe the
process of addressing urban degradation (Cui et
al., 2021). Urban regeneration is cleaning blighted
neighborhoods in inner cities to remove slums and make way for higher-class
housing, businesses, and other amenities (Zipp,
2013). One of the main goals of urban renewal
is to restore a specific area's economic viability by attracting outside
private and governmental investment and promoting company start-ups and
survival. (Ashour,
2016).
Urban renewal has been evaluated by
politicians, urban planners, civic leaders, and people, and it has played an
undoubtedly significant though contentious role. However, urban reconstruction
programs in some American communities have failed, resulting in vast sums of
public monies squandered (Smith,
2012). Traditionally, urban renewal is an
Environmental, Physical, Economic, Social, and management technique used to
address the problems of blight, deterioration, housing standards and declining
property value, and general obsolescence in cities. Urban decay and
dilapidation are standard features of cities worldwide but particularly
prevalent in third-world countries such as Nigeria, India, the Philippines,
China, Brazil, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Kenya, where urban
development predated the adoption of physical planning tradition. At the same
time, it can be said that some developed nations, such as the USA and Britain,
have found mainly long-lasting solutions to their decayed cities.
A few examples are covered in the chapter
to understand the concept of renewal techniques used in developed and
developing nations.
1.
Makoto/Iwaya
Waterfront Renewal plan
Many cities in developing countries are rapidly urbanizing. The
growth of slums and informal settlements characterizes the spread in most situations,
posing considerable hurdles to policymakers' abilities to navigate the shifting
urbanization pattern. Because of these urban structures and structures,
governments in developing nations, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, have
embraced forceful evictions and settlement destruction as practical tools for
addressing urbanization. These practices have continued to endanger democratic
norms, raised the number of internally displaced people, recycled injustice,
and provided fertile ground for civil war in many Sub-Saharan African cities.
Lagos, Nigeria, is where the local government has implemented forced evictions
and home demolitions as part of the city's development.
Nigeria is a master plan for the Makoko/Iwaya region of Nigeria
that intends to preserve local culture, revive the built environment with
attractive, low-cost housing, expand economic prospects, and provide
catastrophe resilience for over 40,000 people. Makoko/Iwaya Waterfront is one
of the communities constantly threatened with demolition (Atilade, 2017). Following public outrage and protest, the Lagos State Government
halted demolition work in the community in July 2012, providing a solid
foundation for Makoko/Iwaya preparations. The Waterfront Renewal Plan aims to
formulate an alternative development agenda for the community and to serve as a
model for interacting with other squatter camps in Lagos State LookmanOshodi of
Lagos' Urban Spaces Innovation submitted the Makoko/Iwaya Waterfront
Restoration Plan on behalf of the Makoko/Iwaya Working Group.
A five-principal community-led and people-centered development
methodology have resulted in the Makoko/Iwaya Waterfront Renewal Plan.
1.
Residents'
involvement
2.
Preservation
of ancestors and history
3.
Growth of the
community
4.
Tourism and
economic growth
5.
Durability
and sustainability
6.
Infrastructure
investment and job creation.
Figures 2 and
3. Represent before and after the condition of the Makoko/Iwaya
2. Urban Renewal
in Turkey using Spatial Techniques
Turkey's most significant urban concerns
are rapid population growth, informal settlements, and buildings and
infrastructures exposed to natural catastrophes (Candas
et al., 2016). Vast areas of numerous cities are at
risk from earthquakes, flooding, and landslides and have recently suffered
fatalities. Urban renewal is a crucial planning method used by both Local and
national governments to decrease catastrophe risk and improve living conditions
for inhabitants. Geospatial data follow the fundamental steps of urban renewal.
a. Re-arrangement
needed
Turkey's disaster management policies
are considered behind developed countries, with structural flaws, unequal land distribution,
crooked and dilapidated structures, sensitivity to natural hazards and urban
threats, inadequate and weak infrastructure, dense, unauthorized, and unsettled
recreation areas, and a need for renewal. Invigoration Re-use aims to rebuild
and restore protected areas and their surroundings in the context of area
growth, forming residential, industrial, educational, touristic, and social
reinforcement areas, reducing disaster risk, renewing and protecting historical
and cultural heritages, and reviving them.
b. Steps of the
UR Process that Include Spatial Data
UR
projects should be managed transparently and with the help of a geographic
information system because they cover a large area and involve a variety of
actors and property types (GIS). A lot of spatial and non-spatial data must be
stored, handled, and analyzed when creating a database.
c. Step 1
Identifying the area
Gaziosmanpaşa
Municipality was chosen as the case study location (Istanbul). Urban renewal
operations were carried out in 37 percent of the district's territory in (GOP),
one of Istanbul's most densely populated districts.
Figure 4. GOP district on
Istanbul's European side
You will
need the correct data and facts to make the best decision. It is hard to make
decisions or generate ideas if you do not know what you're doing. The data on
which a UR project is based must be reliable and up-to-date. Urban regeneration
project implementers must handle a large-scale spatial database. All essential
urban statistics, as well as the plan, are included in this urban geographic
database. A database can be made up of several files. Spatial data, which consists
of both location and attribute information, is one type of data. A reference
point's latitude and longitude, or a series of such points representing the
boundaries of a reference region, may be used to define location. Another type
of data is non-spatial data, which consists solely of attribute information and
is unrelated to spatial data.
Figure 5. Risky Areas in GOP Municipality
3. Huangjiadun
neighborhood in Wuhan city as a case study
Over the last two decades, China has
experienced tremendous urbanization, with the non-agricultural population in
urban areas rising from 172 million in 1978 to 389 million in 1999, a 126
percent increase (Yin,
2020). This urbanization has resulted in some
urban challenges in Chinese cities, such as traffic and disorder in the inner
city, overcrowded and poorly equipped urban housing, and the degradation of
older communities owing to a lack of upkeep, to name a few. As a result, in the
early 1980s, planners and construction professionals studied old city
regeneration, particularly the redevelopment of the senior city center (Wu &
He, 2005).
4. Urban Renewal
in Lahore
H.C.P.'s 'Strategic Plan for Lahore City
aims to re-establish the city's status as a heritage site within Metropolitan
Lahore. Heritage, sensitive areas, urban design, infrastructure improvement,
and residential land use are promoted. The Area Development framework
integrates landmark monuments and historic neighborhoods. The framework
increases residents' capacities to engage in the city's revitalization and
generate income opportunities. Lahore's walled city reflects cultural
influences from at least three powerful empires on India's subcontinent: The
Mogul Kingdom, the British colonial authority, and Pakistan's modern
nation-state (Kabir,
2017). Unlike Peshawar, which has lost its
most significant architectural heritage, and Islamabad, which can boast only
the modern architecture of a particular building, Lahore retains some of the
best empires it has ever been through, as well as the most miniature
construction of indigenous languages. Its location along a major trade route
has affected various cultures, including Afghanistan and China.
Aside from its aesthetic appeal,
Lahore's walled city is vital to its daily operations. It is still a thriving
commercial hub and reflects the city's "living community," an ongoing
continuity and evolution of a much older way of life. Residential, industrial,
retail, educational, religious, and other aspects of urban life are all
represented in the walled town's activities and civic activities due to the
city's many diverse physical attributes.
From micro to macro-scale research, urban regeneration is commonly used,
but only a few methods exist for measuring it. When the world's interest in
renewal grows, so does interest in metrics to achieve a more sustainable world.
Although the quest for indicators has created good criteria, scientific
research has also dominated.
After implementing the new devolution plan, the last six years have seen
significant changes in Karachi, Pakistan's megacity, both in the environment
and physical landscape. Recent changes to the megacity's ecosystem have had a
variety of effects on its residents, who have had to deal with significant
issues such as inadequate air and noise pollution, which has harmed both human
and environmental health. While the principle of urban renewal was not fully
implemented, there has been no impact evaluation of interim results.
A collection of indicators has been established in a paper that could be
useful for the interim assessment of the alleged urban renewal process. Concern
about the possibility of the general public serving as an evaluator during
community planning initiatives was also addressed. For quantitative analysis,
it is generally recommended that these questions be considered more
objectively. When people's preferences and satisfaction are considered, the
strategy has proven appropriate for achieving sustainability.
Economic development, which is not focused on a small number of sectors,
ultimately constrains growth. In Pakistan, the market-determined exchange rate
and the sharp fall in the rupee value, coupled with various incentives, have
not helped improve export earnings. The developed urban centers have always
been at the heart of a country's economic development and prosperity, say,
urban economics researchers, whether as marketplaces or centers of enterprises,
knowledge, culture, learning, and innovation. However, lately, urban renewal
has become a significant problem in Pakistan (Ibem,
2013).
The analysis
also results in the areas having almost 52% old and pre-partition buildings,
which are the primary concern of this research and need serious consideration. Nearly
265 facilities are in a depressed condition. They have been neglected for more
than 80 years since their year of construction and, thus, are required to be
maintained, reconstructed, or rehabilitated to ensure the safekeeping of their
residents.
The results
of the analysis also express that almost 55% of buildings are just in
maintained condition in which little maintenance work like minor repairs,
paintings, replacement of decay parts, etc., are done to upkeep it is
functioning without affecting its physical structure. In contrast, only 5% of buildings
are reconstructed by improving and adjusting the internal network while
retaining the external appearance. In contrast, the rest 31% of the buildings
are entirely old without any modification in their structure.
The road
condition analysis shows that around 28% of roads in Renewal sites are in
derelict condition. The condition has become much more severe because of
temporary and permanent encroachment, particularly on major roads obstructing
vehicles and pedestrian passages. The existing situation of roads and
increasing encroachment has become an eyesore for the residents of Renewal
sites, whereas around 17% of roads are in decent condition.
The analysis
of the environmental features expresses that major environmental problems faced
by the whole neighborhood include serious water quality issues, i.e., 92% of
the area suffers from low-quality of water (hardness), and the remaining 8% has
an intermittent supply of water, also lack proper drainage system is another
factor contributing to environmental problems with around 17% open drains
resulting in dengue fever and malaria.
Based on
previous research, it shows that in the project area there is no waste
collection and recycling system, there is no sustainable waste collection and
recycling system. Solid waste is collected by Munition City, without separation
of paper, plastic, or glass waste (Korkmaz & Balaban, 2020). Examination of solid waste on roads depicts that the lack of a proper
SWM system, the laziness of private sweepers, and the absence of receptacles at
the corner of each street cause residents to throw it randomly on streets,
which makes streets noisome. Also, in a few spots, construction material and
renovation debris are openly thrown, resulting in drainage.
The
perception of the local community entailing the socio-economic profile of the
neighborhood also reveals that around 60% of people live in Renewal sites
because it is inherited and they feel convenient to live here. The results also
disclosed that approximately 27% of locals are not interested in their area
development as they think the local govt. They must carry out the development
work and lack financial resources, which confines them from contributing to any
development work. It can also be concluded from the interviews that local
government and concerned departments must inform the local public about such
projects, thus inducing them into such kinds of projects. Therefore, stakeholders
and community participation also play an essential role in successfully
implementing such projects. In addition, the residents of Renewal sites also
suggested that for the betterment of their neighborhood, issues like low
quality of drinking water, lack of access to private filters, broken roads,
absence of street lights, increasing street crimes, and high utility bills are
some other factors that demand an immediate action to be taken to ensure the
better quality of life of its residents.
CONCLUSION
Lahore's
renewal development was not carried out properly due to 60% of the people
living at the Renewal site due to the legacy of 27% of the local population not
being interested in regional development. So that the renewal of growth in the
city of Lahore shows that it is not carried out properly, which can be seen in
the number of neglected old buildings. The condition of the roads under
renovation is neglected, and environmental factors, especially low water
quality (hardness), intermittent water supply, and open waterways cause dengue
fever and malaria. The inspection of garbage on the road that is not paid
attention to illustrates that there is no good waste management system.
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