‘Private sector’s help needed to address housing shortage’

LAHORE: The public sector cannot handle the provision of housing by itself and should stop trying to do so, said Dr Shakeel Qureshi at a three-day seminar on housing. “The private sector should be aided in developing urban housing projects,” he said.

The seminar was held at the National College of Arts (NCA) by the institute’s architecture department and the research and publications centre from October 18 to 21. The seminar, ‘urban housing in Pakistan: issues, views and solutions’, was a major part of the curriculum of the fourth-year architecture students. It also provided a forum for experts from all over the country to exchange views and ideas. Experts discussed various issues relating to urban housing in Pakistan.

“The government should pay attention to lessons learnt from the informal sector’s handling of housing projects,” Dr Qureshi said. “The growth of slum areas shows that the lower tiers of society can somehow provide for themselves so, instead of adopting policies to eliminate the slums completely, the government should try and improve their living conditions.”

Lectures were given on various topics, including housing problems, typologies, ‘issues of land and shelter’ and sustainable housing.

Former chief metropolitan planner M Aslam Mughal, Faisal Sajjad, Housing Director General Shahzad Jamil, Kamil Khan Mumtaz, Tasneem Ahmed Siddiqi, Nauman Ahmed, Parween Rehman, Sabir Chohan and Manzoorul Haq were among the speakers. The seminar, held annually, addresses an important problem faced by the country at the moment. Housing issues were explored from various angles by experts and analyses and views were provided to the students. mariam qureshi

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