Continuities and Discontinuities in Urban Development Institutions: A Case Study of Lahore Development Authority By Azka Shoaib BSc Political Science Lahore University of Management Sciences, 2016 SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF URBAN STUDIES AND PLANNING IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER IN CITY PLANNING AT THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY June 2019 © 2019 Azka Shoaib. All Rights Reserved The author hereby grants to MIT the permission to reproduce and to distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of the thesis document in whole or in part in any medium now known or hereafter created. Author___________________________________________________________________________________________ Department of Urban Studies and Planning May 23, 2019 Certified by ____________________________________________________________________________________ Professor Bishwapriya Sanyal Department of Urban Studies and Planning Thesis Supervisor Accepted by_____________________________________________________________________________________ Professor of the Practice, Ceasar McDowell Co-Chair, MCP Committee Department of Urban Studies and Planning 1 Continuities and Discontinuities in Urban Development Institutions: A Case Study of Lahore Development Authority By Azka Shoaib Submitted to the Department of Urban Studies and Planning on May 23, 2019 in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master in City Planning ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Abstract City development authorities are one of the key institutions in urban development and planning in South Asian cities. Pakistan and India share a history and have experienced the similar trend of Town Improvement Trusts established by the British transforming into Development Authorities. Both these forms of institutions had a similar mandate – to improve the living standards in the city through planned development. Development authorities, in particular, were envisioned to undertake comprehensive and integrated master planning in the face of rapid urbanization that its predecessor failed to do so because of its institutional set up as a Trust. In this thesis, I focus on one such urban development institution in Lahore, Pakistan, namely the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) which has come under immense criticism in recent years. In order to understand the urban sprawl of Lahore and the complementary planned development, one needs to understand the institutions that are propelling this form of urban planning. I aim to understand the unequal development in Lahore through the lens of an institutional framework. The premise of my analysis is that even though the forms of institutions that come about and the way they evolve over time are influenced by the broader political and economic trends, it is the urban development institutions that dictate what kind of policies under its purview are produced, hence affecting the urban form. I argue that LDA was a continuation of the Lahore Improvement Trust in many ways, with a supposedly more comprehensive approach to planning, and it faced similar challenges as its predecessor and failed to achieve one of the objectives this parallel institutional structure set out to achieve: providing housing for the low-income groups. In my analysis, I highlight the role of legislation and political influence on LDA’s operations. Political leadership and influence differentiate it from LIT and it can be its greatest strength if it is leveraged in the right way. In order to understand LDA’s challenges and how these can be overcome, I analyse the following in this thesis: 1) why was LDA established and to what extent it was a continuation of its predecessor 2) how has LDA’s policies evolved over the years and why, and 3) what are the challenges to cater to low income population for LDA and what are the ways in which it can achieve them? Thesis Supervisor: Professor Bishwapriya Sanyal Thesis Supervisor Title: Ford International Professor of Urban Development and Planning Reader: Karilyn Crockett Reader Title: Lecturer of Public Policy and Urban Planning 2 Acknowledgements: To my advisor, Bish Sanyal for challenging me to keep questioning my assumptions – it has been an honor to learn from you. The lessons I have learnt from our conversations are one of my most valued from these two years at DUSP. To my reader, Karilyn Crockett – thank you for pushing me to find my voice in my writing. To my mother, without whom I would never have been able to undertake this adventure. Thank you for being my best critic and cheerleader. To my father, whose unconditional love, support and money has brought me this far. To Anam and Bhaiya, for the pep talks, last minute edits and for all the inspiration you have given. I would never have thought of applying to MIT if it weren’t for you – we did it! To my friends here and back home – thank you for keeping me sane. To my Ashdown family, to Toni and Jess – thank you for the warmth and the food. To Sanjay for all the insightful conversations on pragmatism and how governments work. To my best friend Zahra for everything you do for me. Aeman, for your unwavering support. To the DUSP community for inspiring me every day to make this world a better place. You are the most brilliant bunch I have ever come across. To my interviewees in the government and the residents of Sattu Katla – thank you for opening your doors for me and for sharing your experiences with me. Thank you to all my respondents who provided information readily even when I was not in the field. 3 Contents Acknowledgements: ......................................................................................................................................... 3 Chapter 1: Precursors of LDA ....................................................................................................................... 5 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................... 5 Overview of LDA ............................................................................................................................................ 8 Why was LDA created? ............................................................................................................................ 10 Precursors: Lahore Improvement Trust ..................................................................................... 12 Master Planning before LDA ............................................................................................................ 15 Chapter 2: Evolution of LDA ....................................................................................................................... 20 LDA’s initial years ...................................................................................................................................... 20 World Bank’s influence ........................................................................................................................... 25 LDA in the real estate era: collaboration with real estate developers and politics of extending jurisdiction ............................................................................................................................... 28 Chapter 3: Parallel Structure of Urban Governance: Lahore Metropolitan Corporation and Lahore Development Authority ....................................................................................................... 33 LDA’s relevance as an institution ........................................................................................................ 33 Chapter 4 LDA’s attempts and failures to cater to low income population ........................... 46 How urban villages come about and exist in the way that they do ...................................... 50 Political linkages and service delivery in absence of LDA and WASA ................................. 55 Chapter 5: Continuities and Discontinuities of LDA: Restructuring LDA to provide affordable housing .......................................................................................................................................... 61 Recommendations .......................................................................................................................................... 68 Institutional Structure: ............................................................................................................................ 68 Short term ................................................................................................................................................ 68 Policies ............................................................................................................................................................ 68 Short term and mid-term .................................................................................................................. 68 Long term ................................................................................................................................................. 69 References .......................................................................................................................................................... 71 4 Chapter 1: Precursors of LDA Introduction City development authorities are one of the key institutions in urban development and planning in South Asian cities.