A new urban agenda for Pakistan

As World Habitat Day 2025, which falls on October 6, calls for ‘Urban Solutions to Crisis’, Pakistan faces a stark choice. The day could not be more timely for us, with climate change and conflict driven displacements resulting in unchecked urbanisation and fueling slum growth from Karachi to Peshawar. The challenge and opportunity lie in transforming these neglected settlements into resilient, inclusive and sustainable urban futures.

The UN estimates that more than 122 million people globally are now forcibly displaced by conflicts, climate change, political instability and economic breakdowns. More than 60 per cent of them end up in cities, making displacement an increasingly urban phenomenon. This year’s theme highlights not only the humanitarian urgency of displacement but also the opportunity to craft lasting solutions.

The central call is to move from emergency relief to sustainable development approaches, where inclusive urban planning, adequate housing and empowered local governments are placed at the heart of crisis response. For us – a country where climate shocks, protracted conflicts and unchecked urbanisation collide – this message has particular resonance.

Pakistan today stands at a crossroads. It is among the most rapidly urbanising nations in South Asia, with more than 40 per cent of its population already living in urban centers and projections suggesting nearly half will be city dwellers by 2050. Yet much of this growth is neither planned nor sustainable. Recurrent disasters like the 2022 and 2025 super floods, which displaced millions, pushed families into already stretched cities where they will continue to live in precarious conditions. Add to this, the displacements from militancy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tribal areas, and the long history of Afghan refugee inflows, and the picture becomes clearer: Pakistan’s cities are absorbing crisis upon crisis, often without the systems or policies to manage them.

The most visible outcome of these pressures is the proliferation of katchi abadis, or slums, which have become the unplanned heart of Pakistan’s urban reality. It is estimated that nearly one in three urban citizens lives in such informal settlements. These neighbourhoods grow because rural and displaced populations have nowhere else to go. They remain because they offer proximity to livelihoods in cities, even if that livelihood is low-paid and insecure. And they persist because governments have neither extended services to them nor regularised land tenure.

The repercussions are evident in every aspect of urban life. In Karachi, sprawling slums such as Orangi Town, Malir and Machar Colony house millions who live without secure tenure, adequate housing, or reliable public services. Fires, floods and evictions are routine, leaving families in a constant state of vulnerability. In Lahore, slums along the Ravi River represent another form of neglect, where residents face periodic evictions while lacking clean water, sanitation or access to schools. In Peshawar, the influx of displaced families from tribal areas and Afghan refugees created colonies on the city’s edges where housing markets are informal, exploitation is common, and basic infrastructure remain absent.

These environments create cascading crises. Without secure housing, families cannot build stability. Without safe water and sanitation, outbreaks of cholera, dengue and hepatitis become frequent, disproportionately affecting children. Without access to schools, children drop out early, often pushed into child labour to support households. And without formal employment opportunities, residents remain trapped in cycles of underemployment and poverty, often invisible to official statistics or social protection systems. If they continue to grow unchecked, the country risks perpetuating intergenerational poverty and creating parallel urban systems that undermine social cohesion. Yet if approached wisely, slums can also become the starting point for innovative, inclusive urban planning that integrates displaced and marginalised populations into the economic and social life of cities.

The question remains then what is to be done to overcome all this. The answer lies in rethinking urban development from the ground up. First, the planners must integrate displacement and slum realities into its urban planning frameworks. That means moving beyond master plans that ignore informal neighbourhoods and instead mapping and servicing them as part of the city. Zoning laws need to be enforced to prevent dangerous settlements along riverbanks and drainage channels, but alternative affordable housing must be provided, or else eviction simply pushes the poor into even more hazardous areas.

Second, affordable housing schemes must be scaled up dramatically. Public-private partnerships can play a role, but government leadership is essential to ensure that the poorest are not priced out. Providing tenure rights to long-standing slum residents is another key step, reducing insecurity and incentivising families to invest in improving their homes.

Third, services must be extended equitably. Health clinics, schools and water systems cannot remain the privilege of formal neighbourhoods while slum populations fend for themselves. In Karachi, water distribution must be de-politicised and extended to katchi abadis, while in Peshawar, Lahore and other such metropolis, sanitation and waste management need urgent attention to prevent recurrent health crises.

Fourth, climate resilience must be built into urban infrastructure. The recent floods showed how unprepared our cities are for climate shocks. Drainage systems need urgent upgrades, and green infrastructure such as parks and permeable pavements should be prioritised to reduce flooding and heat stress.

Finally, economic empowerment is crucial. Leveraging BISP and other social security programmes for mass scale skill trainings and microfinance programmes can help slum youth and women move from precarious informal labour to more stable livelihoods. Linking slum economies with broader urban markets not only improves incomes but also strengthens social cohesion.

These steps are not luxuries but necessities. As the idiom goes, a stitch in time saves nine. Investing in slums today is far less costly than dealing with the consequences of neglected urban poverty tomorrow, which may manifest in social unrest, health epidemics, or environmental disasters. Local governments, which globally are a proven fundamental key for local resilience need revival to be at the frontlines of urban governance, need to be revived with adequate resources, autonomy, and capacity to deliver on these solutions. Strengthening municipalities is therefore not just good practice, but a national imperative.

For us, the question is whether that future will be one of sprawling, unplanned slums or one of inclusive, resilient and sustainable urban growth. The choice is stark but also within reach. With political will, thoughtful planning and investment in the dignity of all citizens – whether displaced by floods in Sindh, conflict in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or poverty in Punjab, we can turn this urban crisis into an opportunity for transformation.

As the world gathers to discuss ‘Urban Solutions to Crisis’, we must remember that the resilience of its cities depends just not on luxury housing societies, mega malls, skyscrapers or highways, but on the everyday lives of those who build them, clean them and sustain them. Ensuring adequate housing, equitable services and dignified opportunities for slum dwellers is not only a moral responsibility; it is the cornerstone of a stable and prosperous Pakistan.