ADAPTIVE REUSE & REGENERATION AS POTENTIAL FOR INDUSTRIAL SITES IN THE METROPOLITAN CITIES OF PAKISTAN

Abstract

Karachi and Lahore are Pakistan’s most important cities and they are also among the world's most densely populated cities. After the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947, there was a strong emphasis on textile, mechanical, and steel industries such as Pakistan steel mill in Karachi and PECO industry in Lahore. Like many other sites, there are still visible traces of its industrial heritage. Industries such as these were the reason for internal migration towards the cities providing jobs and life to the cities. Currently, the urban infrastructure & public amenities of these cities are inadequate and insufficient. But more construction will lead to demolition generating a loss of important layers of recent history. The urban paradox, however, may create opportunities for the city to consider reusing its abandoned industrial sites. Such processes occur in Europe and are now also followed by China where the reuse of former industrial sites became levers for city development and regeneration. Chinese cities like Beijing and Shanghai have several recent examples of adaptive reuse of abandoned industrial sites. The paper presents the analysis of Karachi’s & Lahore’s industrial legacy, its adaptive reuse potential, and aims for its regeneration through a local, socio-economic, and cultural revival. This project fits within a broader Ph.D. research on the industrial heritage of Pakistan; its identification and potentialities. Unlike Europe, Pakistan does not recognize industrial sites as heritage. Political instruments to offer new programs for these areas are limited and they are currently not on the radar as potential places for future city development. However, due to unprecedented demographic and geographic challenges, it may well become valuable to reconsider its potentials.