Flawed Urban Development Policies in Pakistan

History and civilisation move in cities. All major scientific, social, political, economic and technological innovations have happened in human agglomerations known as cities. Great civilisations and empires have been developed around cities. It is not accidental that the dominant empire of any time had the most important, creative and fascinating cities of the time. World is urban, and economic growth and urbanisation are inextricably linked. There is a whole new approach to understand growth and development, which tells us that “a city, economically, is like the nucleus of an atom” and there is a need to understand how development can be enhanced through construction and operations of city [Jacobs (1969); Jacobs (1984) ; Lucas (1988)]. Recognition of cities as the centre of production has gained significance since the Industrial Revolution. With the development of new technologies and service industries, the structure of the city has become increasingly diversified and complex. Cities now often reflect the prosperity of modern life, and the difference between rich and the poor countries often lies in the productivity of their cities