Land Use and Climate Change

Climate change woes have exacerbated the conditions of millions of people around the world who live in the most vulnerable regions of the city. Pakistan is not new to any of these pressures. The devastating floods of July-August 2022 have put weak and ill-implemented land use planning in the limelight. Outdated zoning plans and masterplans have given way to the rapid, unchecked, and unregulated urban sprawl of the cities. Pakistan is included in the top ten countries in the world that are most vulnerable to climate change although Pakistan is responsible for less than 0.5% of carbon emissions on the planet. 

Solid Waste Management and Public Transport 

The municipal services of waste management fail to provide sustainable ways to effectively collect, segregate and recycle waste in our cities, resulting in pollution, and air and water-borne diseases which have an impact on the economy and tourism industry. Additionally, although the governments have provided BRTs and metro systems in a few major cities of Pakistan, they are not well connected with the areas of the city. Public transport is crucial for any city to thrive and drive its economy. It reduces the number of cars on the roads. Cities around the world use the model of Transit Oriented development to encourage economic growth and social welfare of the society. 

Land Markets and Finance, and Data Science

Local governments and municipalities have creative ways and effective ways to invest in public goods and services through Land Value Capture instruments. Pakistan has non-existent local government systems, and the tax regime is not extensive and comprehensible by most. 

With the increasing advancements of technologies in cities worldwide, the use of data and its resourcefulness has helped cities design targeted solutions for problems. With the data, we can improve the services and management of our cities. However, there is less scope for data collection in cities with technology. We will learn about how we can imply the technology in our cities to help manage services for efficient planning and decision-making processes.