It seems that our city planners are alien to the idea of historical urban conservation. Or, how do you explain the fact that a majority of the historically known buildings and places in Lahore are losing their original form and being replaced with new and modern structures?

The Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) is looking after the conservation and preservation of old/historical buildings inside the Walled City only. There are several other old and historic localities such as Anarkali, Nisbet Road, Ram Galliyan, Prem Galliyan, Gowalmandi, Railway Road, Landa Bazaar, Montgomery Road, Mozang, Sandha and Krishan Nagar which remain completely neglected.

As citizens, we can only have a sense of the place if our historical urban heritage is preserved. There is no doubt that with the passage of time cities need development but this should not mean that we destroy the original façade of their landmarks.

Shahid Imam, a resident of Old Anarkali, says that the locality has existed from pre-Partition days — “It was known for its buildings which had chaubaras and chhajjas [terraces and balconies]. But today these are fast losing their façade and being replaced by commercial plazas.”

A major blow to the cityscape, according to Imam, was caused by the Orange Line Metro Train Project. “Our cities are a testimony of our existence. When you replace urban heritage with new buildings, you’re destroying its cultural history,” he adds.

Nadir Butt, a salesperson at a shop on Brandreth Road, believes that the area has old buildings and a traditional street pattern. “It has its own landscape that lends a certain distinctiveness to Lahore. All this is part of a unique urban heritage which gives us our identity,” he says, lamenting the fact that most old houses and havelis in the area have been replaced by new buildings.

“Internationally, the concept of historical urban areas originated in the 1960s. At that time, England and some other western countries saw the dismantling of their old buildings, broadening of their roads and construction of high-rises. Soon they realised that such practices would destroy the continuity of history.”

Shahzad Amir, a town planner, says that historical urban areas are “the memory of a city and its citizens, and they reflect the overall landscape of the city in terms of defining its historical value. Therefore, the old residential areas must be protected.”

According to Amir, with the passage of time most of our historical urban heritage has vanished: “At certain places, it has completely disappeared.

“Internationally, the concept of historical urban areas originated in the 1960s,” he says. “At that time, England and some other western countries saw the dismantling of their old buildings, broadening of their roads and construction of high-rises. Soon they realised that such practices would destroy the continuity of history.”

Amir says that in 1967, England issued the Civic Amenity Act, which stipulated that urban areas with unique artistic value and historical features should be protected, considering their “collective value.” Moreover, external spaces, road structures, and even particular old trees should be protected.

In Lahore, no civic authority is ready to take the lead for the protection and conservation of city’s historical urban centres, although the Punjab Local Government Act 2019 empowers the local government to stop any citizen from demolishing and/or reconstructing buildings of historical importance. In the case of Lakshmi Building, a private property, for instance, the Lahore High Court did not allow its façade to be dismantled.

Active participation of residents in historical urban areas is needed to preserve a given locality, says Mian Waheed, a senior official of the Metropolitan Corporation of Lahore (MCL). He says that in the previous government, a powerful committee was formed which enforced restoration, preservation and conservation of The Mall with active participation from local traders. “So far no new plan to conserve any other historical urban locality is on the cards.”

Tanya Qureshi, a senior official of the WCLA, says that the Authority is taking every possible step to conserve and preserve the areas/localities which fall under its jurisdiction. “Yes, we take care of the conservation and preservation work in other localities too, but only when the government asks us to do so,” she says.