Resumen de The nexus between growth strategies of master plans and spatial dynamics of a metropolitan city: The case of Lahore, Pakistan
Zahid Hussain, Obaidullah Nadeem
Master plans are prepared in many countries to manage and guide spatial growth of cities. Nevertheless, these are much criticised for being rigid in terms of growth strategies and implementation. In case of a metropolitan city, relationship between growth strategies of master plan and spatial dynamics is complex and hence it hampers implementation. This research aims to critically analyse the practices of spatial growth management in the capital city of Punjab, Pakistan. A hybrid approach of quantitative and qualitative methods is utilised in this research, wherein, GIS technique with Landsat imagery is used to determine the spatio-temporal dynamics of the city. Interviews with experts, who were either involved in preparation or implementation of spatial growth strategies of various development plans (DPs), are also conducted. This research presents historic evolution of spatial growth strategies of Lahore from 1966 to 2016, determines their extent of implementation and consequences in the light of views of the experts. Findings reveal that out of all the DPs prepared for Lahore, some of the growth strategies were based on ground realities but could not be fully implemented due to the administrative, fiscal and enforcement issues which led to inadvertent land use conversion and urban sprawl. All the DPs were also deficient in forming an effective evaluation mechanism. The basis of growth strategies and the implementation mechanism need to be revisited for making better growth strategies.
