According to leading Pakistani demographers and social scientists, unofficial estimates place the country’s urban population between 50 and 70 percent. As the fastest urbanizing country in South Asia, Pakistan has a potentially fleeting opportunity to harness its cities’ potential as engines of growth. Unfortunately, Pakistan’s rapid urbanization has instead been accompanied by a myriad of problems, including poor health outcomes, extreme poverty, overburdened public services, inadequate housing availability, and urban sprawl. These may be partially responsible for the country’s slow and declining economic growth.

Many of the issues plaguing Pakistan’s cities can be attributed to poor urban planning, design, and management practices. This City Planning and Urban Design Guide aims to bring to light the factors restricting the progress of Pakistan’s cities and to create space for urban planning in policy discourse. We advocate for the adoption of contemporary urban design concepts that prioritize commerce, density, community, and inclusive growth. Specifically, this guide uses the cities of Canada – which include the fastest growing city in North America and some of the world’s most livable cities according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Livability Index – to devise strategies for urban planning in Pakistan’s cities.