The Covid-19 pandemic has been a time to re-evaluate, re-think and repurpose existing urban management and local governance practices. The combination of economic, public health and transit challenges re-emerging as Covid-19 takes the backburner and school and work life returning to normalcy presents an opportune time for urban planners to implement responsive measures.

A senior member of the Punjab Board of Revenue recently presented a proposal for the bifurcation of Lahore district, for better administrative management. Originally envisioned as a project to streamline rapid infrastructure development and construction, this year-old proposal may very well end up seeing the light of day during the current government’s tenure.

Every modern megalopolis faces some challenges that are common throughout the world. These include a lack of affordable housing, heavy traffic and unplanned settlements. A confluence of these factors contributes to worsening public health and heightened disaster risk. As Lahore continues its unabated journey towards becoming one of the largest cities in the world, pressing climatic issues such as poor air quality are also coming up, further exacerbating the urban development challenges and indicating an urgent need for urban planners and policy makers to address inequalities through resilient, sustainable and practical measures.

As the most urbanised country in South Asia with a formidable urban growth rate of around 2.6 percent per year, it is estimated that nearly half the population of Pakistan will reside in urban areas by the year 2025. Lahore alone, for example, had a recorded population of over 11 million in the last census, with an average growth rate of 3 percent per year from 1998 to 2017.

With the Indian border on the east and the Ravi river to the west, Lahore has expanded to the south (and most recently, the north) in a largely unplanned manner. The Lahore Development Authority (LDA), for instance, lists over 700 “illegal” housing societies alone, not counting squatter settlements. As larger segments of the population — most of them economic migrants from rural areas — choose outskirts to reside in because of affordability, the collective commute to core urban areas increases.

Today, with an operational BRT system, a metro train and a network of subsidised buses (operated under the Speedo banner), local wagons, rickshaws, and qingqis still throng the roads. The absence of a sufficient, reliable and eco-friendly mass transit system available to a majority of residents of Lahore means that an increasing number of individuals opts for personal vehicles (motorbikes or cars). This increased presence of road traffic, combined with poor quality fuel and substandard equipment and inspection regimes contributes to smog and air pollution, making Lahore the city with the worst air quality in the world this year.

The bifurcation of Lahore district into City and Saddar districts can help reduce urban inequality. Urban communities in Pakistan, and indeed much of South Asia, are strongly divided along racial, economic and religious lines. This often means the abundance of poor living conditions and a plethora of development challenges that continue to affect generations after generations, with poor or unequal return on skills, lack of access to basic services (such as education, electricity and internet), and an overall dearth of opportunities leading to slow growth and unhappiness.

Handling these challenges is a mammoth task from an administrative standpoint, albeit the processes involved have been eased following the 18^th Amendment, empowering provinces to take major administrative decisions, particularly those related to land use, revenue generation and development on their own.

Furthermore, the federal government’s prioritisation of construction and real estate development as a strategic sector for investment mainstreams the need to streamline legislation and regulatory approvals. With this in mind, the division of Lahore into two administrative districts may very well prove to be a game changer.

Division of service-oriented functions such as administrative tasks, building permits, and approvals for new businesses should help reduce the time and red tape that dissuade many an investor from taking up projects in the country. Besides, the provision of other service-oriented functions, particularly related to urban services and local government, is expected to empower citizens and communities to take up self-help initiatives, thereby not only propping up the local economy but also improving the living standards in many areas.

It is, however, crucial to point out that as a mega city continues to evolve, so will its problems. There is no one-stop solution or quick-fix anymore; people will continue to move to Lahore, the city will continue to expand, roads will continue to be overloaded, and affordable housing will continue to run out. Add to that water supply, sanitation, and food security challenges that will emerge in the next five to ten years, and you end up with things that could either go right or very wrong, very fast.

It is the need of the hour for the provincial government, local administration and urban planners to re-examine the development priorities in Lahore. The need to protect agricultural land, reduce the need to commute, promote walkability and cycling, improve public transport, increase social equity and promote sustainable development all require multi-sectorial expertise for effective implementation.

Simple, cost-effective policies — for example, amending building regulations to allow vertical development — that make the best use of investment, time and available land must be adopted and mainstreamed.

Further, there is a need to not only create but also implement land use policies instead of allowing every available periphery to be converted into a residential community. These approaches require foresight and forward-thinking on the part of the city managers to create a livable, resilient and equitable community for future generations.

The writer is a development sector professional with nearly a decade of experience in communications and reporting. He has supported the implementation of The World Bank’s Disaster and Climate Resilience Improvement Project (DCRIP) and ADB’s Flood Emergency Reconstruction and Resilience Project (FERRP) in Pakistan