The Promise and Pitfalls of Contemporary Planning

CRP 2000

Katchi-Abadi Housing Concerns

By Da Eun Lee

Home to one of the largest slums in Asia, Karachi has had several issues with housing, stemming from the rapid population growth that characterizes the city. The city had around 0.5 million residents in 1947, before increasing to around 13 million in just fifty years. This influx of people to the city, instigated by the massive exodus of people from India in 1949 and the rural migrant movement in search of employment, created housing problems that still persist today (Fernandes 1994). Pakistan’s urban population, despite the rapid growth, is criticized as underestimated because of the huge informal settlements in the peripherals of the city. The census also discounts the more than one million “aliens” registered by the National Alien Registration Authority (Hasan 2009).

Housing in Karachi is best known for katchi abadis, which are squatter settlements in Pakistan. These are a result of the migrants who did not have the means to afford legal housing in planned government projects or private housing; they find vacant plots and build homes without permission. (Fernandes 1994) Karachi needs 80,000 housing units per year; with a demand-supply gap of 30,000 against a demand for 50,000 units. The demand-supply gap is accommodated in katchi abadis, which have grown at twice the rate of planned areas (Hasan 2009). Today, about forty-one percent of Karachi’s total population lives in almost 550 katchi-abadis located on mostly government land. Some of these settlements have existed for so long, up to twenty-five years, that inhabitants have access to electricity and other facilities, and they are build of permanent materials like concrete (Fernandes 1994).

A typical slum in Karachi, depicting the dilapidated condition of housing for the urban poor. (image source)

A typical slum in Karachi, depicting the dilapidated condition of housing for the urban poor. (image source)

Although these settlements are considered to be illegal to most agencies, they are often times the last resort for the urban poor. Despite the damaged conditions of these homes, bulldozers have been demolishing many long-standing katchi abadis, as a part of what government entities call urban “upgrading,” a process through which the slums are razed for the beautification of the city and the clearance of land for other developments (Urban Density in Asia: Lessons from Karachi 2010). One motive for the destruction is the financial gain to be made from reclaiming the lands, which can be sold to commercial developers who will construct luxury homes and shopping centers.  The katchi abadi is not desirable near affluent areas, because it lowers the value of the surrounding land and housing. As a result of the destruction, residents are often forced to relocate to the city peripheries with no credit or government assistance to help them to reconstruct their homes. The authorities have proven to be of little help for the abadi dwellers (Fernandes 1994).

Bulldozers "upgrading" areas in Karachi (image source)

Bulldozers “upgrading” areas in Karachi (image source)

The government reaction to the katchi abadis has been unhelpful in the past. A problem that has plagued the city for over forty years, the appearance of these illegal settlements all over the city has caused groups to suggest allocating scarce resources for the rapidly increasing populations. Despite this, most previous proposals were ineffective in addressing the housing problems. Ultimately, various government agencies demolished nearly 24,000 houses and shops between 1992 and 2007 in an attempt to “address the issue” (Urban Density in Asia: Lessons from Karachi 2010). The Karachi Development Authority, which plans and develops areas to pass on to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, the local government institution, is not accountable to the people. For this reason, the urban poor living in the area have no say in the way the community is developed; they are subject to the decisions of an external body that continually fails to meet the housing needs of the growing population (Dowall 1991).

Karachi Development Authority Tender Notice depicting "golden opportunity" for "special discount of 25%" on outstanding non-utilization fees- a fee most slum dwellers cannot afford. (image source)

Karachi Development Authority Tender Notice depicting “golden opportunity” for “special discount of 25%” on outstanding non-utilization fees- a fee most slum dwellers cannot afford. (image source)

The primary objective for the “development” of Karachi was to remove katchi abadis in central areas and relocate them to peripheral areas such as Korangi. The plan attempted to create 300,000 subsidized housing units for the poor; after 10,000 were built, the plan was halted due to lack of revenue and property speculation. The government also failed to take into consideration the provision of services such as transportation and electricity, and the distance from places of work (Fernandes 1994). The relocation of the residents impoverished the urban poor even further because travel costs increase, women cannot work, education is disrupted, and long travel times decrease productivity and increase stress (Urban Density in Asia: Lessons from Karachi 2010).

Between 1992 and 2007, almost 23,980 houses and shops in katchi abadis had been reported demolished by the government, resulting in the displacement of more than 188,000 people without compensation or alternatives. A martial law ordinance was passed in 1978, declaring that katchi abadis existing before 1978 would be regularized and considered legal, while settlements after this time would be demolished (Hasan 2008). Despite this, the government has demolished many settlements, and the Authority admits that the progress that has been made thus far extends to less than one percent of the katchi abadis per year (Fernandes 1994). In fact, between 1974 and 1985, the Karachi Development Authority planned a total of over 200,000 plots and only managed to allot about 76,000, of which less than 56,000 were actually developed. Meanwhile the previous slum dwellers were left homeless and helpless (Dowall 1991).

The problem of housing continues to get worse in the city as commercial interests and those with means scramble for city land. The Sindh Katchi Abadi Authority reports that most of the katchi abadis in Karachi can be regularized if it wasn’t for the lack of financial and human resources. However, Arif Hasan, a Karachi-based architect-planner and expert in urban development issues, believes that there are socially and environmentally sustainable solutions to high density housing in the inner-city (Urban Density in Asia: Lessons from Karachi 2010); perhaps one day, these plans can be implemented to create housing options for the urban poor in Karachi.

 

Works Cited

Dowall, David E. “The Karachi Development Authority: Failing to Get the Prices Right.”Land Economics 67.4 (1991): 462-71. JSTOR. Web.

Fernandes, K. “Katchi Abadis: Living on the Edge.” Environment and Urbanization 6.1 (1994): 50-58. Web.

Hasan, Arif. “Housing Security and Related Issues: The Case of Karachi.” (2008): Web.

“Urban Density in Asia: Lessons from Karachi.” UrbanDensity.org. International Institute for Environment and Development, 2010. Web. <http://www.urbandensity.org/urban-density-asia-lessons-karachi>.

 

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