Problem Identification: Examining the Factors that Resulted in Islamabad's Unsustainable Development

2022-7-7
Khurram, Amal
This thesis aims to study how policies, planning institutions, or unforeseen circumstances have factored in the creation of an unsustainable city, with a predominant focus on environmental unsustainability owing to urban sprawl. While keeping in mind globalization, rapid urbanization, (environmental) sustainability, and the characteristics of a dynamic city, this study aims to thoroughly examine the following two hypotheses, namely, unprecedented challenges and organizational and administrative problems within the planning and administrative institutions, and conclude by selecting one factor which I found to be the most substantial constraint in the city’s proper, sustainable growth. Although there are numerous political, social, economic, institutional, and various other dimensions and wider facets that play a substantial role in Islamabad’s urban development, this thesis only studies at length and takes into consideration the managerial, institutional, and technical dimensions. Through 20 in-depth semi-structured interviews with experts in the field, I was able to conclude that urban sprawl in Islamabad and its consequential unsustainable developments are a result of poor urban planning and a poor understanding of the underlying logic behind Doxiadis’ original master plan, on the Capital Development Authority’s part. A poor understanding of the true spirit of the original master plan signifies the Capital Development Authority’s inability to fully apprehend and appreciate Doxiadis’ vision and planning ideologies in the Islamabad Metropolitan Framework, thereby resulting in the development of a city that is at odds with Doxiadis’ City of the Future.

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Citation Formats
A. Khurram, “Problem Identification: Examining the Factors that Resulted in Islamabad’s Unsustainable Development,” M.S. - Master of Science, Middle East Technical University, 2022.