CITIES were established to provide residents with enhanced lives through the integration of safety and convenience in vibrant and secure environments. Industrial complexes are the backbone of their economies. City development strives to improve quality of life, maximize economic opportunities, minimize environmental impacts and maintain a safe living environment.
The key to achieving these goals lies in embracing sustainable development and implementing prac-tices that promote human flourishing while safeguarding the ecosystem. The consequences of not embracing sustainable city models are severe. The lack of sustainability in cities poses a danger to residents instead of providing safety, causing environmental degradation, worsening law and order, urban flooding, unequal opportunities, and inefficient transportation systems, all of which hurt the people living there.
While some cities globally have effectively implemented sustainable development plans, most urban areas, particularly in developing nations, have become chaotic for their residents. Residents of sus-tainable cities experience healthy living with locally sourced food and clean air. In sustainable cities, people have access to better housing and job opportunities.
Singapore has created self-sustaining cities that don’t rely on surrounding areas for food. In Singa-pore’s cities, people can access numerous opportunities to ensure their wellbeing and survival. Slums are almost non-existent and people have access to improved housing facilities.
Sustainable development is still out of reach for many cities in Pakistan. Sustainable development for cities includes withstanding extreme weather and efficiently managing the population. As the provincial capital, Lahore is one of Pakistan’s most developed cities. It functions as a central spot for political happenings and captivates tourists from across the globe. Unfortunately, the city’s devel-opment lacks a focus on sustainability and fails to meet the criteria of a sustainable city. The city’s food needs are largely met by importing from the neighboring regions. Not all city residents have the chance to improve their economic fortunes because of the existence of slums.
Navigating through Lahore during peak hours is challenging due to severe traffic congestion. The government’s extensive investment in road construction has resulted in negative consequences for residents in terms of ecology, environment and economy. To combat road congestion, the city is in dire need of a mass transit system. China resolved this problem by establishing a mass transit system in cities like Beijing, which greatly alleviated traffic congestion.
Furthermore, the people of Lahore are experiencing serious environmental dangers. The city’s air quality has been classified as unhealthy due to winter smog, posing major health risks. Lahore earned the unfortunate title of the most polluted city in the world in 2022, according to a survey by a Swiss air purifier company. Moreover, the city endures scorching summers and brutal winters, cre-ating an inhospitable living environment. The monsoon rainfall usually brings chaos, with flooded roads and infrastructure collapsing.
The city has become an unsustainable concrete jungle due to the administration’s failure to adopt sustainable developmental patterns.
The city of Karachi also poses a multitude of challenges for its residents. The city ranks among the most polluted in the country and its residents are plagued by crime. The residents of Karachi’s slums live without basic life amenities.
The insufficient green cover in Pakistani cities is negatively impacting the wellbeing of people living there. Successful city transformations have been achieved by countries through determination and strategic planning.
One example is Medellin, the second-largest city in Colombia, which responded to air pollution and rising heat by introducing the “green corridors” initiative in 2016. The city embraced sustainable practices to restore its ecosystem and decrease environmental damage, resulting in a significant drop in temperature and reduced air pollution levels. The decline of cities in Pakistan is evidenced by inadequate transportation infrastructure, environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, unplanned industrialization, slum growth, rising crime rates, and urban flooding.
A substantial threat looms over cities in Pakistan. The challenge lies in preventing urban flooding and minimizing environmental hazards for city residents. The cities need to revamp their development plan for sustainability. The implementation of a sustainable transportation infrastructure is essential in combating traffic congestion and environmental degradation in cities across the nation. Green corridors can be instrumental in managing temperature rise. It is crucial to adopt a resilient city model to withstand ecological shocks caused by climate change. Upgrading current infrastructure is vital to combat existing threats.
Local governments must operate efficiently and leaders must comprehend sustainable development to bring about these changes. In cities, people coexist and work together to enhance the commu-nity’s progress while also focusing on their advancement. Embracing complexity in urban institutions is crucial for maximizing the effectiveness and efficiency of city structures, to serve the people sustainably. Integrating departments is crucial for embracing complexity and ensuring a smoothly running city.
Pakistan is witnessing a growing trend of migration, resulting in cities accommodating a larger num-ber of residents. Thus, there is an urgent requirement to revamp the city model in the country. In this context, the implementation of sustainable development practices is crucial for cities in Pakistan to create a safe future. The idea of sustainability has been embraced by the modern world, and it’s now Pakistan’s turn to pursue sustainable development.
Within a few years, cities could transform into monsters that consume life if sustainable develop-ment is not prioritized. Ignoring this reality could result in Pakistani cities becoming uninhabitable, leading to suffering and disorder for the residents and preventing the realization of a healthy and prosperous life for the people of the country.
—The writer is an educationist and a Commoner from 44th Common, based in Sargodha.
