I own KARACHI

Muhammad Arif Samoon

UE-006
Department of Urban & Infrastructure Engineering.
Third Year Engineering.
 Solving
Karachi’s problems

1. The problems of Karachi

2. Techniques to solve these problems
3. Sustainability & energy policy
 Land use actions
 Transportation actions
 Housing and building actions
 Economic development actions
 Open space and recreation actions
 Infrastructure actions
 Resource conservation actions
2. New Urbanism
3. Transit Oriented development
4. Best development practices

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1. The problems of Karachi
E DUCATION
For a metropolis, the literacy rate of the city must be high. Instead, today, Karachi has
 Low literacy rate
 Poor quality education
 Incoherent education systems
- Government system
- Private system
 Cambridge
 Local
 Madressah
 No. or few libraries.

DISOWNING KARACHI
 Trash dumping
 Graffiti
 Encroachment due to
- Political activities
- Economic activities
 Corruption

INEFFICIENT POPULATION
People are preoccupied with urgent issue like
 Utility supplies
- Electricity
- Water
 Security
 Stability
- Economic
- Social
- political

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2. Techniques to solve these problems
UNIFORMITY
There should be a uniformity in
 Education
 Utility supplies

P ATRIOTISM
There should be campaigns to popularise concepts like
 I love Pakistan
 I own Karachi
 Etc.

P ILOT CITIES
The techniques should be first applied in pilot study areas
 Optimising international methods for Pakistan
 Ensuring
- Peace/stability/safety
- education
- utilities and infrastructure


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 3a. Land use actions
 Development of blocks or zones, one at a time, and not
all at once.
 Optimum distance between workplace and residence
- Accessible, safe, and economical public transport
system
 Spatially planned
- Educational institutions (one school per neighbourhood)
- Not more than one (for each neighbourhood)
 Planned, well funded, and maintained
 Library
 Mosque

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3b. Transportation actions
 Making cycling and walking more fashionable

 Ensuring pollution free or low pollution vehicles on the road.

 Smooth roadways
- No road distresses
- No difficult curves
- No potholes
- No manholes in pavement cross section
- No banners, advertisements distracting commuter.
 Reliable and cheap, but not necessarily system.

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3c. Housing and building actions
 Banning gas heaters in favour of built-in solar heaters

 Energy efficient houses

- Auto-off appliances and utilities
- Low energy alternatives
 Preventing and taxing energy wastage
- Water flowing from leaking tank
- Display lights
 ‘for sale’ houses
 Shops
 Malls
 Properly ventilated houses
- Discourage use of air conditioners
 In-house categorised waste disposal

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3d. Economic development actions
 Usage of latest technology
 Adaptability to new techniques and technology
 Promoting value addition
 Creating a stable local and international market for products generated.
 Harness local resources
- Use imported raw materials in the worst case scenario.
 Penalising hoarders
 Abolishing obsolete techniques
 Preventing the growth of monopolies, cartels and mafias.

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3e. Open space and recreation actions
 Compulsory parks for each
block of every town.
 Central sports facilities for
each town.
 Compulsory green area
outside each high rise
building.
 Inter-town sports
competitions, leading to
national sports events
 High penalty on destruction
of open spaces.

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3f. Infrastructure actions
 Coordination between different departments
- Utilities
- Road networks
- Security
 Sustainable infrastructure
- Roads should last for 10 to 20 years, not 6 to 7
months.
- High quality utility network.
 Synchronised development
- Often, roads are dug out to place utility lines.
 Preferring local solutions by considering ground realities, instead of applying out of
this world, utopian solutions
- Glass bus stops
- High speed trains
- Etc.

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3g. Resource
conservation
actions
 Enforcement and education for the
prevention of resource wastage.
 Use of energy efficient equipments
 Recycling plants
 Dumping of organic waste to create
compost; not letting it rot, and go
wasted.
 Categorised trash collection, saving time
and labour.
 Subsidised renewable energy appliances
- Solar
- Wind
- thermal

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5. New Urbanism
 Development should only proceed if there is
already sustainable infrastructure in place.
 Promote interaction between neighbours and
neighbourhoods.
 Create: Going green slogans
- Stigmatise the use of inefficient
techniques and equipments
 Only one mosque for each neighbourhood.
- Large
- Well maintained
- Low noise pollution
- Promotes religious harmony
 Central library for every town.

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6. Transit Oriented development
 Prevent the creation of large, inaccessible
zones.
 Connect city train with buses
 Buses should be accessible at walk-able
distance.
 Buses and trains should be synchronised to
reduce passenger ‘wait’ time.
 Promote mixed land use type
- Reduce travels.

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7. Best development
practices
 Best religious harmony practices
 Best social & political harmony practices
 Best efficient economy practices
 Best education practices
- Best research practices
 Best inter-departmental practices
 Best planning practices

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