URBAN GROWTH
DYNAMICS OF ISLAMABAD
DR. Zafar Iqbal Zafar
Director General Planning, CDA1

Reimaging the Urban Growth Dynamics of Islamabad
Pakistan is fifth populous country with a rapid urban growth of over 3.5%.
Most of urban population is living in unplanned cities. Islamabad wasplanned as capital city in 1960. The sustainable and green urban
development and resilience attracted population from all over the country.
The neighboring cities of Islamabad are growing in disorganized andhaphazard manner. Construction of new airport has exacerbated amorphousurban sprawl on the periphery. It is expected that by the invasion ofneighboring cities, this conurbation will be transformed into a megalopolis.
We will discuss the urban challenges posed to the capital city by the urbansprawl.

GLOBAL URBANIZATION TRENDS• Rapid urbanization has surrendered the world in 20th century and after 1950 its pace became faster.
The cities expanded at an alarming rate and big cities converted into mega cities.
• In 1950 there were only two mega cities in the world which became 10 in 1990 and 28 in 2014.
• Earlier mega cities were situated in developed countries but now majority of the mega cities exist in
less developed countries which shows that urbanization process in developing countries is more rapid
than the developed world.
• According to UN World Urbanization Prospects report 2018 55% of the world’s population would rise to
68 % by the year 2050.
• 2.5 billion people will add to urban areas by 2050.
• 90% of this addition would take place just in Africa and South Asia.
• Some cities have experienced population decline in recent years. Most of these are located in the lowfertility countries of Asia and Europe where overall population sizes are stagnant or declining.
• Some cities in Japan and the Republic of Korea (for example, Nagasaki and Busan) have experienced
population decline between 2000 and 2018.
• Several cities in countries of Eastern Europe, such as Poland, Romania, the Russian Federation andUkraine, have lost population since 2000.

POPULATION TRENDS PAKISTAN
Urbanization trends in Pakistan (1951-2017
90

Peshawar
82,280Islamabad
Rawalpindi

77,55
74,671,770

Gujranwala
Lahore

67,48
63,56

Quetta60

Faisalabad
Multan504036,44
32,52

Hyderabad

28,33025,4Karachi

22,45
20

17,8

100
1951

1961

1972

1981
Urban

1998

RuralUrban population has grown up to 36.4%

2017

Total Cities :624
Mega Cities 02 (10 million or above)
Metropolitan cities 08 (Above one million)
Medium Sized Cities 87 (Below one million)
Small Towns 527(Below 100,000)

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POPULATION TRENDS PAKISTAN
Population of major ten cities (2017)
S. No.
12
3
4
5
6

7
8
9
10

Name ofthe City
Karachi
LahoreFaisalabad
Rawalpindi
Gujranwala
ICT
Islamabad
Peshawar
MultanHyderabad
QuettaTOTALPopulation in Millions
19811998
2017
5.208
9.339
14.9102.953
5.143
11.126
1.104
2.009
3.203
0.795
1.410
2.098
0.601
1.043
2.027
0.340
0.805
2.000

0.566
0.732
0.752
0.286
12.977

0.988
1.197
1.167
0.566
23.667

1.970
1.871
1.732
1.001
41.938Hyderabad; 1,7Quetta; 1Multan; 1,8

Peshawar; 1,9Islamabad; 2

Karachi; 14,91

Gujranwala; 2

Rawalpindi; 2,1

Faisalabad; 3,2Lahore; 11,12

In 2017, Total Urban Population of Pakistan was 75.67 million
and 42 million living in ten major cities which is 56% of Total
urban Population of the country.

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PLANNING SYSTEM IN PAKISTANDEPARTMENTS• Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives atnational Level• Provincial Housing and Urban Development Departments• Provincial Local Government and Rural DevelopmentDepartments• Development Authorities in Major Cities• Metropolitan/Municipal Corporations• Union Councils

STATUTES• National Reference Manual• Provincial Local Government Ordinance• Development of Cities Act• Local Zoning Regulations• Local Housing Schemes Regulations• Local Building Control Regulations

STATUS OF URBAN PLANS IN VARIOUS CITIES
442; 71%

71% of the urban areas are growing without an urban plan

5182; 29%

Approved

Not approved

2%

6%
21%

Valid2%

Expired14%

Not known

13%

ISLAMABAD MASTER PLAN
• Federal Capital Commission was established to prepare a Master

Plan for new Capital.
• Doxiadis Associates a (Greek Architect/Planner) were appointed asconsultants of this Commission.
• The Federal Cabinet in its meeting held on 24-02-1960 approved thename of the new Capital as Islamabad•The Master Plan was approved by the Federal Cabinet on 26-10-1960.
• Capital Development Authority was established for Planning andDevelopment of Islamabad.
8SPECIFIED AREA ISLAMABAD

SPECIFIED AREA

CAPITAL SITE
9METROPOLITAN AREA

SPECIFIED AREA
METROPOLITAN AREA
CAPITAL SITE

3600 SQ.KM
1100 SQ.KM
906.5 SQ.KM

MASTER PLAN METROPOLITAN AREA
• Three Parts Islamabad, Rawalpindi&Islamabad Park• Grid iron Pattern• Dynapolis• Walkable Residential Communities• Commercial Centres (Blue Area,Markaz, Shoping Centres)• Public Buildings and Admin Sector• Institutional Area/Mauve area
• Industrial Area

ISLAMABAD
ISLAMABADRAWALPINDI& CANTT10RAWALPINDI& CANTTISLAMABAD PARKISLAMABAD
PARKICT ZONING REGULATIONS 1992
In 1992, the Islamabad Capital
Territory (ICT) Zoning Regulations
were promulgated and the entire ICT
was divided into Five Zones.
Zone Area

ICT Zonal Distribution, 1992

Development Strategies(47734 acres)(Sq.Km)1223.3

CDA’s urban schemes(72,301 acres)2

39

Private housing schemes on
Sectoral Pattern

3

193.2

Preservation and conservation
Area

4

292.5

Sports,recreation
leisure,institutions,farming, model villages,

5

158.5

Private housing schemes(55,162 acres)11(9,723 acres)(39,182 acres)

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SUB ZONING OF ZONE-4
Sub Areazone acres
A12,188

B

12,941

C

21,279

D23,618

Land Use▪ Agro farming/ Orchard Schemes▪ Institutions ,Model Villages and Public Housing
Schemes. [Row housing, apartments]▪ Mixed land use, Residential & commercial housing
schemes (Public & Private);
Apartments,Institutions and regulated expansion of existing
Villages▪ Agro farming/ Country Housing /Orchard Schemes
12Institutions, IT Parks▪ Public sector Housing Schemes, Village Up
gradation and Regulated expansion of villages.
▪ Agro farming/ Orchard Schemes▪ Reserved Forests, Nature conservation projects,
Sports and Recreational zones ( Hotel, culturalcenters, theater, playground & parks)▪ Golf Courses, Polo Ground, Country Club ,Water
Sports, Swimming pools, Gliding & jogging tracks

DEVELOPMENT STATUS IN ISLAMABAD
Year

Population

Density

GrowthRate(Persons per Km)

1998

805,000

5.198892017

2,001,579

4.91

2207

2023

2,363,863

2.80

2607

PLANNEDUN-PLANNEDDEVELOPMENTDEVELOPMENTPROTECTED
AREA

FUTUREDEVELOPMENTWATER
BODIES

URBAN SPRAWL IN ISLAMABAD
Area in Percentages (%)
Class

1990

2000

2010

2016

Permanentvegetation

24.27 34.35 36.199

38.15

Urban Area

03.70

15.144

3.84

7.125

14

Bare Soil
Water

71.42 61.34
0.60

Source: Pak EPA 2019

0.46

56.2
0.45

46.26
0.44

URBANIZATION AROUND ISLAMABAD
S. No.

Name of theCity

Population in Millions
1998

2017

Urban

Rural

Total

Urban

Rural

Total

1

Rawalpindi

1.409

0.517

1.927

2.098

1.158

3.256

2

Attock

0.117

0.144

0.261

0.212

0.223

0.435

3

Fatehjang

0.026

0.128

0.214

0.067

0.259

0.326

4

Hasanabdal

0.038

0.097

0.135

0.0640.153

0.217

5Taxila

0.271

0.100

0.371

0.501

0.176

0.677

6Murree

0.021

0.155

0.176

0.157

0.076

0.233

7

Gujarkhan

0.067

0.427

0.494

0.112

0.566

0.678

8

Abbottabad

0.126

0.502

0.628

0.245

0.737

0.982

Total

2.075

2.070

4.206

3.455

3.348

6.804

URBAN SPRAWL AROUND NEW ISLAMABADAIRPORT

Buitup Area 2010 = 2481 Acre

Buitup Area 2023 = 9642 Acre
Growth in Buitup Area 2010 to 2023 = 7161 Acre

CAUSES OF SPRAWL
1. Segregation of Rawalpindi from Islamabad Master Plan
2. Non implementation of Rawalpindi Master Plan

3. No regional development plan of Specified area
4. Establishment of multiple jurisdictions in Islamabad ( Local Govt., MCI, CDA)
5. Inconclusive review of the Master Plan
6. Multiple changes in the Master Plan without any study
7. Overlapping Boundaries

ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

1. Poor sector development

2. Unregulated development in Zone 3, 4 & 5
3. Issues of Slums & squatter settlements
4. Poor Public transport system18

5. Water shortage
6. Regulatory issues – MCI, CDA & Rawalpindi

7. Poor Solid Waste Management SystemRECOMMENDATIONS
1.

Develop a national spatial planning policy, connecting institutions and infrastructure to
guide local planning authorities and decision2.

The overlapping and parallel jurisdictions of various bodies within the domain of the cityor metropolitan governments have created fragmentation, it should be resolved.

3.

Building capacities of governments to finance urbanization will contribute to make cities
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sustainable, inclusive, and socially just and economically successful.
4.

Review of Master Plan

5.

Preparation of a joint Regional Plan by involving all urban local councils in the region

RECOMMENDATIONS

6.

Preparation of detailed development plan for Zone 3, 4 & 5

7.

Urban Regeneration of old planned sectors

8.

Upgradation of Slums and Squatter Settlements

9.

Integrated Mass Transit System

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10. Construction of Water Reservoirs and Waste Water Recycling
11. Construction of Sanitary Landfill Site

THANK YOU
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