Scaling the Potential of Compact City Development: The Case of Lahore, Pakistan

Muhammad Nadeem, Amer Aziz, Muhammad Ahmad Al-Rashid, Giovanni Tesoriere, Muhammad Asim and Tiziana Campisi
Additional contact information
Muhammad Nadeem: Graduate School of Urban Innovation, Yokohama National University, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
Amer Aziz: Department of City and Regional Planning, University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore 54890, Pakistan
Muhammad Ahmad Al-Rashid: Department of City and Regional Planning, School of Architecture and Planning, University of Management and Technology, Lahore 54770, Pakistan
Giovanni Tesoriere: Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Kore University of Enna, Cittadella Universitaria, 94100 Enna, Italy
Muhammad Asim: Department of City and Regional Planning, University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore 54890, Pakistan
Tiziana Campisi: Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Kore University of Enna, Cittadella Universitaria, 94100 Enna, Italy

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 9, 1-22

Abstract: With increasing urban populations, high vehicle miles have made the concept of a compact city imperative. A compact city is characterized by high-density development and mixed land use with no urban sprawl. City managers are trying hard to make their cities compact and livable. The potential conformance to a compact city development requires scaling before any significant intervention. Several studies have been conducted on the different aspects of the compact city in the developed world, but there is limited understanding in the South Asian context. This study aimed to fill this research gap and proposes a theoretical matrix to gauge the potential compactness of Lahore, Pakistan. It comprises some key attributes, such as landscape ecology, measurement of density, density distribution, transportation network, accessibility, dispersion index, and mixed-use land consumption, which were analyzed in this research. The data were analyzed using Geographical Information System (GIS) and ERDAS IMAGINE software to make a scaling matrix. The research findings show that Lahore is a semi-compact city, with high potential to become a true compact city. The paper recommends that the urban extent should not be extended until targeted colonization is achieved, and the spatial growth of the city should be managed by encouraging infilled development, high-density living, and public transport provision. This research will help policymakers, urban planners, and transport planners devising policies for compact city development.

Keywords: sustainability; compact city; sustainable urban development; sustainable urban form (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/9/5257/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/9/5257/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:9:p:5257-:d:550500

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().