NGO “Saiban’s” Project “Khuda Ki Basti”

Also read: Redisigning Khuda ki Basti, Lahore

In 2008-2009, the author and his colleagues were involved in a study of density-related issues in low- and lower-middle-income settlements in Karachi. This study on “Khuda ki Basti”, which focused on three settlements and one apartment complex, was supported by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), UK. The settlements and complexes selected for the study were very different from each other in physical and sociological terms, as can be seen from the brief descriptions below.

1. Khuda-ki-Basti-3 (KKB-3) is a recently developed suburban settlement with a density of 501 persons per hectare. It is estimated that in another 10 years, it will have a density of at least 1300 persons per hectare.
2. Nawalane is one of Karachi’s oldest settlements. Its population density has increased over time, and now stands at 3376 persons per hectare. This high and unplanned density has created many social problems in certain parts of the settlement.
3. Paposh Nagar was built as a government scheme to provide single-storey core housing, with a planned density of 240 persons per hectare. Today it has a density of 1181 persons per hectare, and includes housing from two to five storeys high.
4. Fahad Square is a 10-year old apartment complex in a planned government sector. As such, it makes use of planned social and commercial facilities in the sector that are not found in the other examples.Its current density is 942 persons per hectare. The number of persons per family and per housing unit varies from 5.7 persons per family in Fahad Square to 13.56 persons in Nawalane, and 6.7 persons per housing unit in KKB-3 to 36.8 persons in Nawalane. An additional study was also made of a 35-year-old apartment complex Labour Square, to produce a comparative analysis of Fahad Square.These settlements were hypothetically remodelled to explore several issues. Firstly, to see if the densities and land use prescribed by the Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA) for apartment blocks for low-income groups could be achieved by developing individual houses on small plots in these settlements and Fahad Square.

   Secondly, to identify and understand residents’ preferred types of accommodation; and thirdly, to see the extent to which existing densities in these settlements and apartment blocks could be achieved by catering to residents.