Major cities across Pakistan are witnessing a messy transformation of urban landscape driven by rapid urbanisation. These cities are slowly losing their distinctive identities and becoming victims of the so-called development projects that aim to stuff them with a high infrastructure density of wide roads, signal-free corridors, enormous boulevards and roundabouts, bridges and underpasses garnished with sparse, ornamental and short-lived plantation with attractive lighting displays.

These distinctive features of urban spaces, imposed on at least one locale in every city, not only reveal a desperation to compete in the race for meeting the global outlook and demands of a cosmopolitan city but also indicate a deep-rooted transformation of policies, institutions and spaces.

Proponents of such development strategies argue for the city to flourish visually and economically, connecting more people with its market places with projects like road expansions and flyovers accommodating more vehicle users.

Such projects are reshaping the landscape of cities which continue to face a blend of failure and crisis in regulatory and policy experimentation. The aggressive reconstruction of urban development terrain has not only resulted in a tremendous loss of green public space but also demolished the ecological assets of the city and accelerated the marginalisation of an already wrecked urban fabric.

Whether it’s the burning sensation in the eyes and intense coughing triggered by hazardous smog in winters, or dizziness and excessive sweating due to lethal heatwaves in summers, the changing climate brings a new challenge to the city’s atmosphere in every season. There seems to be no stopping this madness.

There is a tremendous loss of public spaces to the development projects that make little to no sense to the people of the city. The authorities seem to take a different turn in addressing this socio-ecological crisis. The approach based on another-lane-will-solve-the problem has yet to be discarded. Most city authorities seem to be fixated on the notion of enhancing the aesthetics using ornamental landscaping.

On major routes including Jail Road, Gulberg’s Main Boulevard, sections of Ferozepur Road and Raiwind Road, rows of delicate seasonal flowers are stationed alongside the lanes, where the AQI in winters regularly touches the peak of the chart.

The Liberty roundabout, decorated with ornamental and exotic plants and trees, happens to be one of the least accessible public spaces. Its sheer presence in the middle of a signal-free corridor makes it unapproachable for almost everyone.

Perma-culture farms and food forests should be established in public parks and neighbourhoods. In public spaces, well-maintained lawns demanding maintenance for their active use should be replaced by Miyawaki forests.

Such beautification by ornamental, exotic, and high maintenance flora is not only unsustainable but also accelerates the deterioration of the environment. The design of these public places makes no reference to the history and cultural and environmental significance of the places or the needs of the people.

These practices have resulted in the creation of disastrous unrecognisable and unusable spaces, wasting precious resources including land, materials, labour, money and time. They create momentary symbolism but too often become redundant before long.

Integrated approaches are needed to halt the rapid environmental degradation and restore the lost green cover while also reclaiming the derelict public spaces. Miyawaki urban forests provide a solution to mitigate these problems. These demand low maintenance and are beneficial not just environmentally but also economically. Allowing the plantation of more trees without increasing the area, this model can work for a congested city like Lahore where land is scarce and open spaces are limited.

A prototype of a Miyawaki urban forest at Liberty Market has proven successful within a year’s time. 50 more forests based on Miyawaki method are planned. One of these is being planted in Jilani Park. In the past, announcement of such projects have not been followed by faithful implementation. With an ecological crisis looming on the horizon, this project has to be protected against a similar fate.

Exotic trees introduced on main boulevards should be immediately replaced by indigenous trees and the practice of potting seasonal plants should be restricted to parks. Perma-culture farms and food forests should also be established in public parks and neighbourhoods. In public spaces, well-maintained lawns and ornamental plantations demanding high maintenance for their active use should be replaced by Miyawaki forests.

The idea behind adopting such practices should also be integrated into the principles of urban design for Pakistani cities.

The approaches in public space design should part ways with the developer’s aspirations of creating a spectacle and move towards more forests, no matter how informal it may appear to be, with inclusive public spaces to bring back the lost ecological assets of the city. Only then would we be able to create a nurturing relationship between the people and their environment.

Trained as an architect, the writer works with Restore.Green, in designing Miyawaki forests as public spaces. He has also designed Liberty Market’s Urban Forest.