Nasira Jabeen *

Umm-e- Farwa **
Musa Jadoon***

URBANIZATION IN PAKISTAN:
A GOVERNANCE PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Rapid urbanization is a major issue facing countries across the world

today. This phenomenon is on the rise in Pakistan also which is
urbanizing at an annual rate of 3% reported as the fastest pace in South
Asia (Kotkin and Cox, 2013). Increased urbanization in Pakistan may be
attributed to the natural growth in population and external and internal
migration to metropolitan areas. Due to the varied definitions of
urbanization and the absence of latest census data research on the issue
is quite challenging. The paper deliberated upon the issue in the specific
context of Pakistan and analyzes it in view of different approaches to
development i.e. conventional approach in 1960; complementary
approach of 1970s; New Public Management Approach in 1980; and
governance approach of 1990s and onwards. Instead of viewing
urbanization as a problem for effective governance it supports the
complementary and urban governance view and emphasize on addressing
the issue with a renewed interest. The paper postulates that urbanization
in Pakistan needs to have a tremendous focus on governance structure
and policies including; access to education, housing, transportation,
employment and public health at an augmented level. It also requires an
increased interest in economic wellbeing of people and a sound political
system of decentralized local governance. Since urbanization is a context
specific phenomenon, the issue needs to be addressed by policy makers
and governing institutions in line with indigenous demands and relevant
interventions in the form of sustainable policies and their effective
implementation and evaluation. Norms of urban governance in the
country require a renewed focus on efficiency, transparency,
participation, accountability, social justice, and security for all
individuals at all levels. Good or good enough governance in the
Pakistan is only hoped for if political stability, economic growth and
human development are aligned with rapidly increasing urbanization in
the country.

Key Words: Urbanization, Governance, Complementary View, New Public

Monument, Decentralization, Human Development.

*
Dr. Nasira Jabeen, Professor, Institute of Administrative Sciences, University of the
Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan, Email: director.ias@pu.edu.pk
**
Ms. Umm-e- Farwa,(Correspondence Author) Lecturer, Institute of Administrative
Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.
***
Musa Jadoon, (Correspondence Author) Assistant Professor, Department of
Architecture, COMSATS University, Lahore, Pakistan.
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Introduction:
Urbanization is the process of population growth in urban areas. There are many
ways to define an urban population e.g. by population density, population
magnitude, governmental/administrative/political boundaries, or economic
functions. Some states describe their urban population as per those people living
within certain administrative/governmental limits. For example in Iraq, there are
administrative centers/municipals/municipality councils, In Bangladesh and
Pakistan, a municipality or a municipal corporation, a town committee, or a
cantonment board. Population size or population density is the major consideration
for classifying urban population in other countries.
The most important difficulty in studying urbanization is that there is no universal
standard for the classification of urban milieus. Almost, all countries around the
world differentiate among urban and rural population, nonetheless the universal
definition of urban region differs among countries and in certain cases it even
varies over time in a particular country. There is another problem which causes a
constraint in urbanization researches, which is the deficiency of consistent and
latest demographic statistics. Census data is the key source of information on
distinct metropolises but then again censuses generally takes place merely just the
once each decade and then yields more than a few years to be scrutinized and
released. In many countries, there is no availability of novel census data since the
1990s or even the 1980s. Due to this reason, latest urban data is actually credited
from data that is entirely outdated.
An Overview of Trends in Urbanization:
The world‟s rural population is increasing at comparatively less proportion to the
urban population, (Figure. 1). The world‟s urban population has increased four
times between 1950 and 2003,on the other hand, world‟s rural population has
increased less than doubled from 1.8 billion to 3.2 billion between 1950 and 2000
(Cohen, 2006). With reference to the report on World‟s Urbanization Prospects
2004, by United Nations, urban population of the world is predicted to rise by
nearly two billion in next 30 years, and the world‟s rural population is anticipated
to decline somewhat falling from 3.3 billion in 2003 to 3.2 billion in 2030
(World‟s Urbanization Prospects, 2004). Therefore, it is expected that, the
forthcoming population growth for the foreseeable future, will be riveted in urban
areas.
Fig.1. Estimated and Projected Scope of the World‟s Urban and Rural Population;
1950-2030.

Source: World‟s Urbanization Prospects, UN (2004, p. 4)

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Existing statistics advocate that the percentage of urban poor is comparatively

increasing more rapidly in large number of the world‟s poorest countries, than the
general rate of urban population growth (The State of World‟s cities, 2004).
According to one of the estimate, 72 % of the total urban population of Africa
nowadays lives in shantytowns. The proportion for Asia and the Pacific is 43%,
for Latin America it is 32%, and for Middle East and Northern Africa is 30%
(Challenges of Slums, 2013). The cities are continuously attracting new migrants
due to which their population is mounting and instigating the problems of
unemployment, poverty, transportation, and housing etc. The aptitude of most
municipalities to deliver sufficient elementary amenities for their citizens has been
utterly outstripped due to the swift urban growth and problems caused by it
throughout the developing world (Cohen, 2006). This rapid urbanization is posing
challenges of governance for policy makers and decision making bodies of the
countries and demands redressal of the issue in view of the global trends,
indigenous requirements and effective policy formulation, implementation and
evaluation.
Urbanization in Pakistan:
Pakistan has long been a nation defined by its geography. It is the country where
majority of the population is based and where the largest industries are ensconced.
Pakistan is urbanizing at an annual rate of 3%– the fastest pace in South Asia.
Metropolitan cities are facing rapid urbanization as the population of Karachi
alone has raised 80 % from 2000-2010, the biggest rise of any municipality in the
world (Kotkin & Cox, 2013). The United Nations Population Division estimates
that, by 2025, nearly half the country‟s population will be living in cities as
compared to one third of the population at present. Other estimates – which use
density-centered rather than administrative/governmental classifications of
urbanization, and take into account “peri-urban” regions that lie separate from
official urban boundaries – state that the urban population has already reached
50% (Planning Commission of Pakistan, 2011). According to Burki, 2011,
„Pakistan is at the threshold of a major demographic transition‟, (Burki, 2011).
Literature suggests that for municipal management, there should be political and
economic decentralization accompanied by marketing and flexibility in municipal
actions. Flexibility here can be best interpreted in terms of ability of the
governance institutions to adapt to the changing environment (Harris and Fabricus,
1996).
Literature also suggests that municipalities play vital role in provision of basic
infrastructure, maintaining law and order and harmony in the society. A sound
system of governance demands civic engagement and participation of all players
including the corporate and civil society to accompany the state for municipal
management and achieving the above said objectives. An earnest effort has to be
made in operationalizing the idea of partnership and be on familiar terms with the
importance of the local governance.
Intermediate/public/private sector organizations (specially related to microfinance)
can play their positive role in this regards. Like in Pakistan, Edhi Foundation,
Shaukat Khanum Cancer Memorial Hospital, Akhuwat, one of the local micro-
finance NGO, Lahore Transport Company, Clean Lahore and Orangi Pilot Project-

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Karachi are some of the examples. In the same way, sub-contracting and
outsourcing services to private sector to improve the provision of services through
collaboration, coordination and nurturing synergy is becoming the norm.
Urbanization is both promising and problematic for Pakistan. On the one hand, it
could boost the country‟s sagging economy. Pakistani cities are a chief source of
employment opportunities for small and medium enterprises which provide the
vast majority of Pakistan‟s nonagricultural jobs and high-growth industries jobs
such as information technology (Kugelman, 2014). Cities are also the hub for
Pakistan‟s prestigious educational institutions which impart education, trainings,
skills, and research and development opportunities in marketable disciplines.
At the same time, urbanization if not managed properly may place an immense
burden on an already-stressed labor market, and severely test the state‟s ability to
provide basic services in cities. Even today, while Pakistan struggles to provide
housing, transport, education, jobs, healthcare, clean water, and energy to its urban
population, meeting these needs in next 10, 15, and 20 years when the country‟s
urban population will be even greater will be an immense challenge. Failure to
address these human development concerns could make Pakistan‟s urban masses
less productive contributors to society and the economy.
Causes of Rapid Urbanization
The phenomenal increase in urbanization in Pakistan may be attributed to two
major causes which include natural growth in population and internal
migration/relocation (Arif and Hamid, 2009). According to the current statistics
Pakistan‟s total population is rising 3 percent every year and if the trend continues
it will increase from 180 million today to 380 million people by 2050 (Kugelman,
2014).
The other factor is rural-to-urban migration. Much of this movement has been
driven by war and conflict. At the time of Indo-Pak partition in 1947, millions of
Indian Muslims entered Pakistan, and many established roots in urban areas of
Sindh and Punjab provinces. Similar influxes occurred during wars with India in
1965 and 1971. In the 1980s, as the anti-Soviet insurgency raged in Afghanistan,
masses of Afghans flowed into Western Pakistan, with many ending up in the
cities of Quetta and Peshawar.
More recently, military offensives in Pakistan‟s tribal areas and Afghanistan have
triggered an exodus of people to Pakistani cities particularly Peshawar, Quetta, and
Karachi. At the same time, many Pakistanis particularly farmers and fishermen
afflicted by rural water shortages and natural disasters including flooding and earth
quakes are relocating to cities to seek better livelihoods. Others are doing so to
have access to better-quality healthcare, employment and education opportunities
more often available in urban areas.
Approaches to Urbanization:
A review of the literature suggests that approaches to urbanization have changed
over time as a result of change in development thinking. Traditionally,
urbanization was viewed as a problem and unnecessary burden on infrastructure
and limited available resources which required an immediate solution on the part

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of government. However, in recent years, it is considered as a natural phenomenon

and a necessary good which needs to be managed through effective urban
governance on the part of government, corporate sector and civil society
organizations. This emerging concept of urbanization is the outcome of a
paradigm shift in development thinking over the years in terms of changing role of
the state in society. Government under the new mode of governance has to steer,
facilitate, regulate and collaborate for efficient and effective delivery of services to
people in contrast to its traditional roles of command, control and sole provider of
public services. This shift in urbanization started taking place in the 1980s firstly
in the developed countries and then gradually spread over in developing countries
including Pakistan.
In order to fully understand the shift in urban development thinking it is important
to look at various approaches to urbanization over time. In this regard, the major
shifts in urbanization can be traced back to 1960s and classified into four major
phases namely: 1). Conventional approach in 1960s; 2). Complementary approach
in 1970s; 3). New Public Management (NPM) Approach in1980s; 4). and
Governance approach during 1990s & onward.
According to the Conventional approach of 1960s, movement of migrants to the
urban areas and filling the available infrastructure without considering the
property laws was considered as an evil thing. Drawing from the Keynesian
economics more focus was placed on building of infrastructure and technical
expertise in the form of projects to enhance the pace of development. The
development at that time was viewed only in terms of economic growth. Thus
migration which resulted in increased urbanization rate was considered as a
problem due to having unnecessary burden on existing infrastructure resulting in
low economic growth. According to this viewpoint, poor should not move toward
cities and to demolish their settlements in the cities was a right solution to
discourage their migration toward cities (Aims, 1995).
In the second phase of development during 1970‟s, the failure of the Conventional
approach and trickle-down theory was recognized as it could not bring the desired
outcome in terms of economic growth. This led to the introduction of
Complementary approach aimed at poverty reduction by investing in development
of human capital through Universal Primary Education, adult education, training
and development and capacity building etc. John Turner and William Mangin (a
UK Architect and a US Anthropologist) conducted fieldwork in Peru which
resulted in a radical change in conventional approach to the urbanization (Turner,
1976). According to Turner‟s argument, the migrants were settling themselves
well and were proceeding toward self-improvement. So, the need of the time was
to work with them and provide them education, requisite skills and security instead
of working against them. The campaigning was that “the problem was the
solution” (Amis, 2002, Cited in Kirkpatrick, et al., 2002, p.205).
Different initiatives were taken in the context of Turner‟s ideas. World Bank
developed an Urban Development program which embraced the objectives of
“Site and Service” (SS)-to develop new housing areas, and “squatter upgrading”
(SU)-working with existing settlements. The aim in both was the development of
migrants and the provision of basic infrastructure facilities to the existing

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settlements by the Government. Later on, these initiatives resulted in the

acceptance of unauthorized settlements, through commercialization. The access to
the shelter followed the market mechanism and the self-help option as advocated
by Turner was abolished.
The third phase in the history of international development in 1980‟s, is marked by
the dominance of neo-liberal economics and New Public Management (NPM)
practices. In this phase of development thinking the focus was shifted from basic
needs to the macroeconomic stabilization. Major focus in this era advocated for
privatization, lean government, reduced public expenditure, and openness to
private investment. The significant role of corporate and civil society
organizations was acknowledged in development process along with government.
IMF supported by the World Bank initiated the Structural Adjustment Program
promoting the minimal role of government and encouraging privatization. The
strategic focus in this era remained on policy level thinking. Empirical research
reflected that the urban poor suffered in this adjustment process (Moser, 1998) due
to increase in food prices owing to marketization and reduction in public sector
expenditures.
The decade of 1990‟s and subsequent marked by the Governance approach to
development has witnessed a renewed interest in urban issues with human
development as a key strategy to development (HDC, 1999; Sen, 1999; UNDP,
1997). It was recognized that significant reasons which account for such issues
encompass the continuous growth of urban areas and their problems, accelerated
rate of urban poverty and most importantly the role of urban areas in economic
development. All these concerns emphasis upon municipal management, a focus
on urban poverty, good governance and a concern for environment (World Bank,
1991). The major shift that took place in this phase was the realization that all
development is related to people, therefore, their involvement and participation in
development process along with other partners in governance is integral to
development (Jabeen and Jadoon, 2009). To conclude, a gradual shift from
conventional to governance approach to urbanization took place over time as
exhibited in figure below:
Approaches to Urbanization and Development Thinking

Governance
NPM Approacch, 1980s
Conventional Complementary Apprach,
Apprach, 1960s Apprach, 1970s Building upon the
1990s-onward
Urbanization was a problem and addressing in
Accepting and handling Urbanization through
problem to avoid. collaboration with Key
the problem. People Centric
Market Players
(Demolish) (Technical Support) solutions
(Economic Growth)
(Urban Governance)

Urbanization: A Governance Perspective

The contemporary upsurge of urbanization is causing several governance
challenges. Cities with inhabitants greater than their capacity instigate huge rises
in inner-city shantytowns, environmental worsening, divided communities, urban
crimes and poor quality of city services. An effective governance demand
sustainable and efficient provision of transportation, housing, employment,
sanitation and sewerage system along with power, water and supplementary

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amenities at an augmented pace. Besides the above, it requires a tremendous focus

on access to basic human development indicators including education, healthcare,
employment, social justice, security and civic engagement.
In line with the above challenges, urban governance has been given due
importance in the Vision 2030 and outline of Economic development in Pakistan.
This is because cities are the prime instruments of progress, development and
growth and perform key role in economic development. They serve as centers of
knowledge, research and development and implementation of innovative ideas
(Haque and Nayyab, 2007). However, to materialize the growth and development
of urbanization, the challenges which it is putting forward must be tackled through
effective governance. A few recommendations in this direction are presented
below:
i) A practical and effective local governance system is required to manage the
swift upsurge in urbanization in Pakistan. An indigenous scheme of municipal
governance was introduced in Pakistan under the Devolution of Power Plan in
2001. The significant features of the system were decentralization of
power/control for local decision making, and the development of Citizen
Community Boards (CCBs) to ensure participation of public in the decision
making. Under the plan, local governments were required to undertake the charge
for service delivery and infrastructure planning. The system also ensured 33%
representation of women at all three tiers of local governance i.e. District, Tehsil
and Union level through an affirmative action and was considered as a mile stone
in the history of Pakistan. However, the system was closed down by the later
government in 2008 and the system of urban governance returned back to local
municipal and development authorities.
These traditional establishments lack the essential technical expertise for current
urban planning, have limited capacity and deficit of resources to deliver urban
governance in an efficient manner.
Building capacity at that level to comprehend and envisage the local governance
plan with technical knowledge, requisite skills, and up-to-date urban planning
practices is extremely important for success of the system.
ii) In order to handle the issue of urban unemployment and poverty, cottage
industries entrepreneurship at individual level should be promoted. This can be
done through offering entrepreneurial and urban management education and skills
at college and university level. Further, government should facilitate in providing
microcredit, advisory services and skills training. There should be flexible
procedures and rules for new entrants so that common person could be encouraged
to join it. Government should take steps to lessen the wage differences in public
and private sector and increase minimum wage for reducing poverty (Awan and
Iqbal, 2011). There should be a provision of capital to early-stage pioneering
enterprises serving the urban poor so that they can validate and scale their business
models. Economic policies should leverage the bank financing for growth-stage
enterprises through risk-sharing guaranty facilities. Initiatives should be taken for
setting up urban innovation labs and incubators in collaboration with public,
private and civil society organizations focusing on low-income urban populations.
In the same way, there should be improvement in employability rate by
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concentrating on technical education; occupational training and skill development

in people in line with market demand.
iii) For economic development and efficient delivery of public services there is a
need for partnership and alliances with corporate and civil society organizations in
view of their specific strengths i.e. sewage management, food security projects,
small loan schemes for farmers, promotion of organic food and improved farming
systems. In this regard, linkages between agriculture and universities need to be
strengthened.
iv) Housing deficiencies is another problem confronted in urban areas. Public
sector housing schemes are insufficient and require extended time for
development. Henceforth, to address the scarcity steps should be taken for
encouraging local governments to take administrative initiatives to increase the
availability of affordable land, for instance, promoting densification in new
housing projects, discouraging the creation of large housing plots, and
implementing more vigorously existing housing plans for low-paid government
employees. There should be revision of existing bylaws and zoning regulations for
sustenance of high-density, high-rise, and mixed land-use patterns. Also there
should be a change in the sequence of development site and services schemes to
prioritize low-income housing and discourage speculation. For taking all the above
stated actions emerging partners in governance i.e. private sector and non- profit
organizations should be encouraged to join hands with government to eradicate the
housing deficiency. Policymakers should embrace more community-based housing
projects, including those that allow homeowners to build their own houses and to
pay for amenities and services on an incremental basis through civic engagement.
v) Insufficient funding in another hindering factor in adequate supply of public
amenities. The municipal authorities depend on the allocations from the provincial
governments and have limited discretion to raise their personal funds through
taxation. Since after the 18th amendment in the Constitution of Pakistan provision
of health, education and basic community services have become the provincial
subject, property tax should be decentralized to the local authorities for improved
inducements and resource generation at the local level. This can eradicate the fund
deficiency leading to improved amenity supply in the urban zones.
vi) Pakistani cities largely cater to the wealthy. They are rife with highways,
overpasses and other infrastructure for cars and other motorized modes of travel
which most urban residents cannot afford. It is time to learn from the past failures
in urban transit planning, which has been plagued by untested technologies, high
costs, poor implementation, and the elimination of affordable transport services
and should address the varied transport needs of the middle class. Government
budgets should allocate more spending to infrastructure for public transport, the
mode of travel preferred by the majority of Pakistan‟s urban residents.
Additionally, fare regulation regimes for public transport should invite
participation of all stakeholders including the public transit users, transit experts,
policy makers, regulators and others concerned. The upper middle class seeks
comfortable public transit and is willing to pay higher prices, while the lower
middle class prefers lower-cost, less luxurious transit. Transit planners should not
force standardized transit services on commuters whose willingness to pay varies

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considerably. There should be reduction in the disproportionate level of transport

infrastructure spending allocated to automobiles, and dedicate more funding to
public transport, walking paths, motor bikes and bicycle lanes. Car-pooling, bike
riding, walking and other environment friendly ways should be encouraged by
providing individuals with special incentives and parking places should be
properly regularized. More effort should be made in terms of connecting farms to
nearby markets through modern infrastructure facilities.
vii) Last but not least a governance perspective of urbanization requires a sincere
and sustainable effort by all stakeholders towards developing the human potential
of urban as well as the rural poor in view of the indigenous requirements and
economic as well as social development indicators. A strong political will and
commitment of all functionaries including the federal, provincial and local
governments, corporate and civil society organizations and communities is very
important to achieve meaningful results in this direction.

Conclusion:
Swift growth of municipalities is an ongoing process in developed a well as
developing countries including Pakistan. This results in an upsurge in the degree
of urbanization. This fast pace of urbanization, is posing substantial challenges in
terms of governance, poverty, unemployment, sewerage, transportation, housing
etc. These challenges need to be addressed by policy makers and governing bodies
of the countries with indigenous solutions in the form of people centric policies
and their effective implementation and evaluation. To successfully address
urbanization challenges, we need to understand various approaches and trends
towards urbanization as the solutions may not work in isolation. The paper
utilizing from the urban governance approach recommends for developing
potential of individuals for requisite skills, knowledge, building of infrastructure
facilities, research and development, building of linkages among agriculture and
academia, a sustainable local governance system and strong collaboration among
governance partners including the government, corporate sector and civil society
organizations. As if economic growth, human development and augmented
urbanization could be managed and governed efficaciously, only then there is a
hope for effective governance in Pakistan.

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