Master Plan of Islamabad

SABIR AYUB RABBANI MOHAMMAD HAIDER HAROON

Introduction
y Master plan Of Islamabad y 1960 . Field Marshall Ayub Khans Vision. y Made by Greek Architect Dr Constantinos A Doxidis

History - Reasons Why Islamabad not Karachi ?

y Traditionally, development in Pakistan was focused on the

colonial centre of Karachi, and President M.Ayub Khan wanted it to be equally distributed. y Moreover, Karachi was located at one end of the country, making it vulnerable to attacks from the Arabian Sea. A capital which was easily accessible from all parts of the country was needed. y Increasing refugees.
y Existing Buildings were not in large number needed for a capital. y The newly selected location of Islamabad was closer to army

headquarters in Rawalpindi

How Project got approved?

y Feb 1959 , Then President Field Marshal Ayub Khan made a special

commission for new capital. y Dr Constantinos A Doxidis was made special advisor for the commission.
y July 1959 , Yahya Khan Requested Dr Doxiadis to make a report in

order to facilitate the task.

y Aug 1959, Dr Doxiadis visited the site of the capital and, as a result, the

report "Impressions from the site The necessary data" was issued.
y In Sep 1959 , Doxiadis Associates were appointed as consultant to The

federal Capital Commission

How Project got approved?

y Feb 24th 1960 Islamabad ( The City Of Islam ) was approved by the

cabinet and President.

y May 1960 The preliminary city master plan was approved by cabinet

and President

Shared Vision Of City

y The metropolis of Islamabad today is the pulsating beat of Pakistan,

resonating with the energy and strength of a growing, developing nation. It is a city which symbolizes the hopes and dreams of a young and dynamic nation and espouses the values and codes of the generation that has brought it thus far. It is a city that welcomes and promotes modern ides, but at the same time recognizes and cherishes its traditional values and rich history.

Original master plan of Islamabad 1960 Critical Appraisal

y Future expansion overlooked in terms of infrastructure development. y Security Problem. y No strict regulations on Green Belts. y Lack of Public Transport facilities. y Development of industrial infrastructure adjacent to Islamabad has

been overlooked.

Amendments made in Original Master plan

y 1964The location of Quaid-i-Azam University was shifted from the

National Park area southeast of Rawal Lake to northeast of Diplomatic Enclave. Sector E-11 was to be developed for low-income private and government housing. But CDA was stopped from acquiring the area in consideration of the location of Golra shrine there. y 1969 Extension of commercial area and the alignment of its Central Business District along Jinnah Avenue, known as Blue Area, up to F-10 was allowed. Sector F-9, which was originally designated as residential area, was converted into the Fatima Jinnah Park. The rural periphery of Islamabad along Kahuta Road was turned into an industrial triangle for medium scale industries. y 1970s The federal government converted the whole E-10 sector, half of which had to be preserved as green area, into a residential area, relocating the armys General Headquarters (GHQ) there. Sectors E-8, E-9 and E-10, originally meant for public and government residential facilities, were designated for the armed forces residential-cum official facilities. Pakistan
Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), originally proposed close to the National Institute of Health (NIH) near Chak Shahzad, was shifted to its present location in Sector G-8/3

Amendments made in Original Master plan

Half the H-sectors was designated as green belt and the other half for special institutions. But, the upper half of H-8 was given to different institutions, H-9 converted into orchard, H-10 and H-12 given to private educational institutes. Originally, the Exhibition Area, including the present Lok Versa, was part of the National Park Area near village Tarlai Kalan. But they were shifted to their present locations south of Shakarparian Park.
y 1980s-Gen Ziaul Haq approved the setting up of the Fecto cement plant in the

Margalla Hills National Park area in violation of the master plan. Sector I-8, designated as Transportation Centre, was converted into a residential sector. QAUs original site was allocated to Zoo-cum-Botanical Garden.

y 1990s - Half of the I-14, I-15 and I-16 sectors were originally planned for

industrial units and the other half for housing their workers, but the entire three sectors were converted into residential areas. Land where the Convention Centre and Serena Hotel stand today was designated in the master plan as green area and right of way of the Kashmir Highway. Zones-II and V, which were part of the Islamabad rural periphery, were given to developing new residential, institutional and industrial series 17 was identified and housing was allowed in Zone-V.

Changes In Circulation Pattern

y The Zero Point Interchange y Jinnah-Faisal avenue interchange y The 7th Avenue y The 9th Avenue

Changes In Circulation Pattern

Reasons Of Extension In City Boundary

y Over Population y Economic Activities in the City. y Corporate world catching people. y NGOs increasing. y Education Institutions.

City Structure, direction and axis of future growth

y Mixture of Sectoral and Multi Nuclei model. y CBD is Blue Area. y CDA is the authority who looks after Islamabad . y City is divided into 5 zones. y Expanding towards GT road (Lahore) and Golra (Kashmir highway).

Five Zones of Master Plan of Islamabad

THESIS Planned cities provide better infrastructure and services to residents

THESIS

y Planned cities as Complete cities

y Rationally designed with a certain image of the citys future in mind y Perfect equilibrium of infrastructure, housing, services and a social-

economic and cultural identity.

PROOF

y Comparative analysis of a planned and an unplanned city :



Planned cities are wholly conceived from the outset, with an organized development plan The unplanned city can be called the organic city; the city that emerges spontaneously to fulfill peoples need for sheltering and spaces of trade and production. This is not a romantic notion.

PROOF: Comparative Analysis

A planned city is often more aesthetically pleasing, following an architectural plan that results in orderly development, neighborhoods that age better over time and property that continues to command high value. Planned cities typically develop around a pre-determined threshold population level . Unplanned or organic cities grow spontaneously and evolved over generations it is often culturally dynamic and vibrant.

PROOF: Comparative Analysis

y In the unplanned settlements, usually people fill the streets, housing

remains dense, and the community constantly gathers in the various small-scale public spaces.
y In planned cities the situation is very different: Fences surround

individual homes, vibrant public spaces are non-existent, and the motorized vehicle is given more priority. Life here becomes privatized and focuses on the individual, as opposed to the community.

PROOF: Comparative Analysis

Facilities in Islamabad City being fairly Planned
y Islamabad seems to be a great city to live in: Minimal

traffic, scenic views, quiet lush green neighborhoods, decent weather, some nice restaurants and a generally slow-paced but peaceful vibe. Beautiful, wide roads and new avenues cropping up have reduced travel times even further.

Islamabad At Glance.

CONCLUSION
y Planners often look at unplanned settlements as mistakes. Without

modern building ordinances, no drainage or sanitation infrastructure, and no zoning principles, it is obvious that these communities were built by the poor, and for the poor.
y Fascinatingly, in unplanned settlements, or those often viewed as

forgotten by modern planning principles, communities come to life despite the lack of modern infrastructure, these settlements maintain strong social cohesion because they are designed for face-to-face interaction.

y http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAvwUhup618