A metropolitan dubbed as one of the fastest growing cities in the world, and the only city in Pakistan situated right next to the sea, Karachi could have been a great place to live in if acres and acres of its land were not devoured by greedy land developers, different land-owning agencies, the corporate sector, and the military.

One is bewildered at the pace and extent of the city’s growth and the consequent ghastly changes that have come about in the past few decades. A drive through the city would reveal two factors: land grabbing and encroachments robbing the city of its open spaces. There’s a serious absence of large expanses of forested parks and playgrounds for the 24 million people who live here.

Large, lush green, forested parks and open spaces can change people’s attitude about their city as also their quality of life. Over 60 per cent of the city’s poorer population lives in unplanned settlements, as the government has failed to provide them with adequate facilities. They live in small, cramped apartments or katcha houses from which the youth in particular are desperate to get out for some air - even if it is polluted!

Everyone has the right to enjoy the city they live and work in; to sit, relax, eat, read, walk, run, play, exercise, bike, skate, and generally have fun. It is not a utopian vision to have a few large green spaces inside the city. It can be done, if greed can somehow be wished away from those in powerful positions.

It doesn’t help that even the more accessible parts of Karachi’s beach in Clifton has been cordoned with a wall-barrier making it difficult to get a good view of the beach and the sea beyond from the street. Portions of the beach are swiftly being taken up by building air-conditioned malls, restaurants and entertainment centres that are only affordable to the rich.

As a citizen who has seen better days, I shudder to think what the city will look like in say 10 years from now, if measures for creating a better urban environment are not taken up with immediate effect. We need to build a collective movement to transform the city around its people, not around the cars and needs of the rich and mighty alone.

The plight of Bagh-e-Ibne Qasim in Clifton, covering 130 acres, which was opened with much fanfare, is pathetic, to say the least. This so-called park, and the heritage structures have been left to perish. Then there’s Benazir Park, also in Clifton, spread over 150 acres, on which more millions were spent. It too is calling out for maintenance and upkeep.

If only large numbers of the several varieties of magnificent indigenous species of trees were planted in these so-called parks. Once some visionaries, perhaps over a hundred years ago, had planted in Karachi trees such as the Banyan, Peepal, Neem, Rain Tree (also known as Monkey pod), Peltophorum (Yellow Flamboyant or Copper pod), as well as Lal Badaam, Ber, and others, some of which are still standing, despite being plundered of their beauty. But what we have now are Bottle, Date and Kanghi Palms or shrubbery planted in the parks.

I don’t know who advises the local government on tree plantations, but they seem to be oblivious of the fact that a tree with a large bio-mass acts as a carbon sink that would free Karachi’s smog-ridden gray skies if millions of such trees are planted.

Also, gone are the birds, squirrels and other creatures that used to once inhabit large trees in the city; instead, crows have taken over, as they feast on litter.

Much like Clifton, all the parks in Gulshan-e-Iqbal and the few in Gulistan-e-Johar are also gated, and with the sun beating down on the city on most days of the year, all the parks there, without exception, haven’t got any large, shady trees either.

The ‘family-only’ Safari Park in Gulshan that had opened in 1970, and spread over 148 acres, where, after paying Rs30 for the car park, I moved towards the ticket office on a muddy, dug-up area to pay Rs20 for the entrance, then trudged along the slope on a largely barren path, to catch a view of a lake. It has some water-fowl and trees on all its sides presenting a pretty picture. A privately funded adventure park, ‘Go Aish’, catering to the young and daring, is located inside the park for which there is a separate charge for each of the activities offered, including wall climbing and paintballing, varying between Rs50 to Rs200.

Barring Aziz Bhatti Park, developed in 1972 by the KDA but is now with unfilled ‘water’ bodies and half of the land cordoned, left to putrefy, all the other relatively recent public parks in Gulshan charge an entrance fee of Rs5 per head.

There are a few sports grounds in Lyari, namely Kikri and Kalri grounds, Gabol Park and People’s Stadium, which are used for political rallies as well, and the latter, which was built in 1995 as the biggest football stadium of the city, has been under the control of the Pakistan Rangers, much as a few other heritage buildings in the city.

Nostalgia may not always serve us well, but one cannot help reminiscing about the good old days when parks such as Frere Hall Gardens, Gandhi Garden, Burnes Garden used to be frequented and there was appreciation of nature, heritage, as well as art and culture. Upon visiting Clifton, the iconic bandstand with its cupola rising high, could be sighted from far and wide, and the sandy beach came up close to the Jahangir Kothari Parade.

Built in Jodhpur sandstone, these beautiful structures, and the land all around them, meant for recreational purposes, was donated to the people by the Parsi philanthropists Sir Jehangir Kothari and Sir Kavasji Hormusji Katrak. At first a shopping mall came up right in front of it, destroying the beauty and sanctity of a historical monument. To add insult to injury, there is now an overpass and underpass that has completely taken over the landscape, with a skyscraper rising next door to these old structures, damaging the ancient cave temple of Shiva and concealing the high platform with the well known dome of the tomb of the 8th century Muslim mystic, Hazrat Abdullah Shah Ghazi.

The battered and abused remnants of a fair number of colonial-era buildings of the city are still visible behind a tangle of wires and billboards in the old-city areas. There are numerous residential, commercial, educational as well as government buildings from that period, and quite a few of them are in urgent need of repair and renovation. They are grand, and integral to Karachi’s history and must be preserved as without them Karachi will hardly have a face worth speaking about.

The city also has archaeological remains stretching back to the Neolithic period. The metropolitan area of the city contains ancient Hindu temples, Sufi shrines, Jewish graveyards, and Christian churches. But there’s complete apathy and a disconnect between the people and the history of the city, which is not taught, and that is why our immense cultural and historical heritage is not valued by the later generations.

Educational institutions need to develop an approach that provides support for the implementation of the various experiences of life by incorporating all the arts into the core curriculum for all students. A sort of multi-media and all-inclusive approach is required. Students thus become more diligent and sensitive, exploring and understanding their environment through observation and activity. As a part of opening students’ minds further, a nexus of art and our collective national heritage should be created. Excursions to heritage buildings/sites and to art galleries and museums would be helpful in this regard,

We have a unique vernacular urban heritage, and our multi-ethnic, multi-cultural identity needs to be understood and appreciated for its diversity and richness.  This will pave a way for citizens to value and take pride in their living environment.