Feature 
 

Urban Planning

Let Cities Breathe

Miyawaki urban forestation is a great idea to create ‘working’ lungs for cities.

By Erum Ashfaq | January 2022

Prime Minister Imran Khan planting a sapling during the inauguration of Miyawaki Urban Forest in Jilani Park in Lahore.

It was a muddy environment, a rugged concrete mess and deafening hum. it was nothing else but a part of world called the ”third world”.

People living in this underdeveloped world have always been in a race of meeting their ends while their governments are either corrupt, inefficient or loaded with multiplicity of other priorities, like municipal service delivery or stabilizing the economy.

A bird’s eye view of our cities, especially as a case study of Pakistan, is not pleasing at all and very much alarming. There exists a concrete jungle with no consideration for plants or green spaces. The towns, metropolitan areas or cosmopolitan cities expand with the least consideration of making them green.

The objectives of the developers remain more and more residential plotting and maximizing profits by selling them. Or it is the unregulated housing schemes on private land, i.e. Katchi Abadis. The approval systems related to real estate are flawed and lethargic. The lack of centralized legislation for growth and a holistic approach always remains a hurdle in making cites livable and fit for human habitation.
A popular saying of Frederick Law Olmsted, a landscape architect and designer of New York’s Central Park, is that trees are the “lungs of the city”. This philosophical statement has lost its existence in South Asia where cities are over-crowded. The immediate solution for the increasing population is haphazard development.

In the recent past, authorities have tried to introduce radical ideas to uplift the urban areas. But it is unfortunate that even today we have not been able to devise a good system of governance. City management is deeply related to a devolved form of governance in order to trickle down the essence of fruitful policies to the grassroots level. In such a transformed, highly receptive, connected, inclusive and smart world, living in a mess of towns will no longer be accepted anymore.

Lahore is ranked the “most environmentally polluted” city of the world. It is at a point from where only improvement and betterment remains the only option.

Whenever the improvement of the environment comes into question, the initial thought that comes to mind is “afforestation”. In Pakistan, the idea of Miyawaki urban forest has gained recognition in the past few years. These forests flourish on small plots. The approach is supposed to ensure that a mixed species of plants that grow 10 times faster and the resulting plantation is 30 times denser. It involves planting dozens of species in the same area. It is maintenance-free after the first three years. These small forests are beautiful, self-sustainable and provide many eco-system services. The “green infrastructure “is the soul of a city.


In our towns and cities where availability of municipal service delivery always remains a burning question, the priority for urban forests can be of no less importance. Urban trees are often viewed as a financial burden or risk, but the benefits they provide may not be understood and may be undervalued by the public and decision-makers. This is so because these forests are fragmented and disintegrated but their cumulative effect is enormous not only on climate but on enhancing scenic beauty and mental health.

Local governance can be the basis of this green revolution. Every municipality has a Tehsil Officer of Planning who may not be a focal person. This person can devise an Action Plan by identifying land and spaces available for growing plants, trees or bushes through use of a land-use map and GIS technology. Although most municipalities have advanced mapping but if some fall short, they can use ordinary maps for the purpose. Government-owned land can be utilized for growing chunks of forests and then it can be expanded along the main roads and secondary roads or vacant lots.

Species of trees can be selected that are fast-growing and are evergreen. Trees that provide shade can be planted along the roads. For instance, China Berry tree (Dharaik), Okan, Mulberry or Prosopis Cinareria (Jand) would be ideal. Similarly, flowering tree species like Casia Fatstula (Amaltas), Indian Coral tree or Delonix Regia (Gul Mohar) that bears red flowers, can be extremely pleasing for the environment.

No urban planning transition is possible without an awareness campaign. When public authorities become proactive, the masses also wish to make their habitats green and they plant trees.

Public bodies, due to limited staff and budget resources, can rely on partnerships with private landowners, organized citizen groups and non-profit organizations in order to effectively manage urban ecosystems. In some areas, citizens participate in advisory commissions that provide input to local officials on policy and regulations governing urban forests.

Collaborative governance across traditional boundaries engages constituents, increases environmental and political awareness across generations, and enables communities to better address complex issues such as climate change. Volunteer-based urban forest initiatives amalgamated with public integrated programs would complement or augment city-run adaptation and mitigation strategies. Such citizen involvement improves urban forest health while strengthening community social ties and creating an environment conducive to cooperative adaptation to climate change.

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