Land use planning for urban agriculture: a comparative study of three communties in a medium city of Pakistan | |
| Author | Arshad, Hafiz Syed Hamid |
| Call Number | AIT Diss no.RD-19-01 |
| Subject(s) | Land use--Planning--Pakistan Urban agriculture--Pakistan Urban agriculture--Developing countries |
| Note | A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Regional and Rural Development Planning, School of Environment, Resources and Development, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Dissertation ; no. RD-19-01 |
| Abstract | Pakistan is experiencing the highest rate of urbanization in its history. Large cities such as Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi are facing negative impacts of urbanization; top of the list is environmental deterioration particularly in high density neighborhoods. Medium cities in Pakistan are going on the same track with high rate of population growth and unmanaged urbanization. Speedy actions are needed to be taken to maintain and enhance the quality of life in medium cities particularly environmental quality in residential neighborhoods before the cities grow so big and complex that damages become irreparable. This study proposed Urban Agriculture (UA) as a solution, as multitude of social, economic and environmental benefits have been claimed for Urban Agriculture (UA) in the literature, in both high and low-income countries. This study assessed the scope and potential of UA in a medium city of Pakistan. The study took under consideration the existing urban growth pattern, policy perspective, communities’ perspective and planners’ vision to find the overall scope of urban agriculture in the study area. Broadly the aim of this study is to make a comparative analysis between home gardeners and non-gardeners focusing on three types of residential neighborhoods in a medium city with assessment of land use change pattern against the current policies and urban planners’ perspective. Urban growth pattern was assessed in the study area over the period of 15 years (2002-17) by using LULC change analysis. ERDAS IMAGINE tool was used for raster analysis using supervised classification method. Urban planning policies were reviewed for assessing the capacity of policy to protect and enhance urban green areas. Later on, questionnaire survey was conducted in three socioeconomically differentiated communities to compare the scope and potential of UA with respect to neighborhood characteristics, households’ socioeconomic status and motivation and perception of people. The study found a huge land use transformation from agriculture, vegetated area and vacant land to built-up area over the period of 15 years. Proportion of ecological elements in built-up area is very low and the spatial distribution of these urban green spaces is uneven. Majority of urban dwellers live environmentally deprived areas with no quick access to any green space. Need is to preserve and enhance urban green content particularly in residential areas. In this regard urban agriculture in general and home gardening in specific can be considered formally. Study found that engagement in UA is associated with socioeconomic status, space availability, and perception towards benefits of UA. people with high socioeconomic status perceives UA as more environmentally beneficial while people living in small lots with no or less space available give high rank to social and economic benefits of UA. In general, policy does not accommodate urban agriculture as a formal land use and favors other urban functions over urban agricultural activity. Also, design standards for housing schemes lack the capacity to maintain the similar per capita supply of green spaces in housing schemes with different socioeconomic status. Policy makers need to understand the motivation and perception of communities towards UA, spatial structure, and green area requirement to device a policy that accommodates and supports urban agricultural activity. Along with food security, this will augment the proportion of green elements in the city and will enhance the overall quality of urban environment. |
| Year | 2019 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Dissertation ; no. RD-19-01 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Development and Sustainability (DDS) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Rural Development, Gender and Resources (RD) |
| Chairperson(s) | Routray, Jayant Kumar; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Datta, Avishek ;Ahmad, Mokbul Morshed ;Winkle, Curtis Richard ; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan;Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship; |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph. D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2019 |