We had been assigned the task to study the Abul Hassan Isfahani Road which is one of the major

PATHs of Lahore city, segregating Garden Town from Model Town. This road may also be considered as the extension of the Gulberg Main Boulevard. Lahore city is expanding at a fast rate which has led to the conversion of residential areas along the main paths into commercial areas. 2.1DENSITY AND MIXED USE The initial urban development pattern and density was relatively uniform since most of the plots had detached houses built on them with not more than a single family consisting of four to six persons. There were apartment houses near the Punjab University grounds, which were four storeys high. Each floor consisted of two flats, thus a total of eight flats per apartment building. There were buildings having shops on the ground floor, offices on the first floor and residences on the third floor. These buildings can only be found in the Barkat Market square. But the current scenario is that most of the houses have been The main hub of the area under consideration is Barkat mar- replaced by multi-storey plazas and commercial buildings, ket but recent conversions have led to a total commercializa- several of them have been converted into educational instition of the whole stretch of land from Kalma Chowk to Jawad tutions. Shaheed Chowk. Kalma Chowk is the node between Gulberg, Garden Town and Model Town. It is the junction between two main paths, Main Boulevard of Gulberg and Ferozepur Road. Captain Jawad Shaheed Chowk is the junction of Usmani Road and Campus Road. Usmani Road connects Faisal Town to Garden Town. Campus Road connects the Canal, i.e. one of the main edges of Lahore city, to Model Town. In this report, we are going to analyse the current scenario of urban fabric of the subject area, i.e. Abul Hassan Isfahani Road, stretching from Kalma Chowk to Jawad Shaheed Chowk. On the basis of this analysis urban design issues will be identified. In the end, conclusive remarks alongwith suggestions and recommendations related to the solutions of these urban design issues will be presented.

2.1NULLAH

the cyclist lane.

NTRODUCTION

We find a nullah along the green belt by the service lane through which entrance has been provided to the residences. This nullah is basically a culvert built in concrete but open from the top. It seems as if there has been no cleanliness or maintenance for ages. It has been used as a litter dump by passersby and local users. The rain water drainage of this area is carried out through this nullah. The curb stone here is being used as a bus stop in the picture above.

2.1FOOTPATHS

2.1S IGNAGE

ronment.

Footpaths or pedestrian walkways have not been provided at all. Its all dust, mud, green verge, curb stones, metallic roads and pavements for parking in the area left over as set backs.

There is total chois in term of signage. Every shopkeeper has his own priorities for allocation of funds for sinage.Also they h.Traffic typology The traffic typology should be controlled for main roads have their own aesthetic sense. This is the general pattern and paths in the city. However, the roads should be properly across Lahore .and not limited to this particular site. marked as lanes for various kinds of building typologies such that slow moving traffic does not provide hindrance to the fast moving traffic.

2.2BUILDING LINKAGE

2.1STREET LIGHTS

There are lights on the road sides but otherwise there is no provisioning of any lights for the pedestrians. Since there are no footpaths there is no question of existence of any street furniture like benches, dust bins, lights for pedestrians, etc.

The original development pattern shows that there were detached houses suppose to be build in this area and some minimum byelaws were set at the sides of these houses. We find the same distance maintained between the multi storey plazas which have been erected in place of those houses. All the buildings exist in total individuality. Neither connected visually or physically. The elevations dont match and the use of materials is also in complete contrast to each other. Every client has made an attempt to erect a landmark of his own irrespective of the context and immediate environment.

i.Hawkers We should provide proper designed spaces for low cost dinning activities which are the source of entertainment and socializing for the low income group. These dinning activities can be merged with other recreational activities so that in a combined form they develop into such zones which add to the socio cultural life of the environment. j.Parking Parking should be concentrated at various parking plazas placed along the nodes and focal points in order to minimize the traffic flow on the main roads. Trams should preferably be used for transportation in between these nodal points for the convenience of the public. Lots of parking space in front of commercial plazas and buildings should be discouraged by implementing the strict laws and regulations besides high parking fares.

2.3PARKS AND PUBLIC ACTIVITIES AREAS

2.1ELECTRICITY SUPPLY SYSTEM

Another obstruction, which is quite obvious and disturbing to the viewer, is overhead electricity supply system with transformers installed quite frequently because of the enhanced electricity loads due to the commercial activity carried out in multi-storeyed plazas.

2.1HAWKERS

2.ANALYSIS OF CURRENT SCENARIO

The front boundary wall can still be seen where houses exist. It is interesting to note that the multi-storeyed buildings 2.1LAND USE PATTERN have left the same set backs as the residential buildings. The original land use pattern of this part of the district was residential with Barkat market as the commercial center. The In cases where commercial plazas have been erected over usual plot size was 4 kanals, detached housing was proposed these plots, these boundary walls have been removed and front set backs converted into parking spaces. here. Often we find generators placed in these set backs right in front of the buildings.

2.1SET BACKS

There are no spaces for public activities. Wherever we find several offices, we find street hawkers selling foods and drinks on their carts. Sometimes we find them at the road junctions hiding under the shade of a tree. At this particular site, we find them at the bank of the nullah which is full of dump and debris. This is a clear encroachment of public space, totally unhygienic with broken wooden furniture. Open to all the dust from the adjacent roads. This one by the electricity supply line is also exposed to any kind of an electric shock.

2.1PEDESTRIAN CROSSING

We find only one park in the entire zone. It is surrounded by a boundary wall and secondary streets. We do find some swings and slides but there are no pavements/jogging tracks.Most of the area is green grass maintained too early. The maintance office placed in the centre of the park gives the picture of the office of a political party than a social welfare and cultural promotion body.There is no stage or raised platform which may be used to hold a recreational activity or k.Signage arts performance. Standard policies should be developed and implemented regarding signage on buildings representing various business concerns so that they dont destroy the built environment. Uniformity in the color scheme and material of signage can 1.SUGGESTIONS / PROPOSED SOLUTIONS play a vital role in the aesthetic value of an environment. a.Land Use Pattern We cannot control or dictate the land use patrren since it l.Building linkage is subject to organic growth of a city. However we can proWe cannot connect all the buildings since these are breathpose a strategy which can formulate a regular growth for ing entities. However it is suggested that a running covered the whole city, thus maintaining the discipline. Every path corridor be provided in front of these commercial plazas in of a city has the potential to be converted into a commercial order to provide convenient pedestrian access through out zone in future, so these aspects should be kept in mind durthe year under all kinds of weather conditions. In this way ing the urban design. there will be a kind of continuity between each block and Once a space has been identified as a residential space it wherever these blocks are segregated by a street, beautiful status must not be in any case converted to a commercial gates should be provided which will act as necessary landspace because the requirement of both the activities is enmarks for enhanced visibility of that particular area. tirely different and quite contrary to each others demand, thus leading to issues as exist in this particular site.

There is no provision for pedestrians crossing the main road. There are no speed tables, no difference of material and not even paint markings identifying pedestrian crossing. Another important factor which should have been considered but again missed out here is the traffic signal. It should not only be provided for the vehicles but also for the pedestrians.

b.Set backs Whenever approval case for a multi storey building is considered, it must be kept in mind that the international standards we follow which comply with the minimum distance between two multi storey buildings. c.Side Lanes The green belt dividing the side lane from the main road should be reduced in with such that footpaths should be provided and proper street furniture be provided as well. This street furniture consists of benches, street lights, dustbins and proper landscaping consisting of soft and hard landscape. d.Nullah The Nullah should be properly cleaned, debris should be removed and beautifully designed steel grill should be provided to cover it. e.Electricity Supply System The electric supply system should be provided underground and electric substation should be provided in some available appropriate space such that the entire transformer should be shifted there in order to provide neat and clean look to the whole environment. f.Pedestrian crossings Properly designed pedestrian crossings need to be providing at regular intervals on the main roads as per international standards. Preferably these should be speed tables, different in materials and prominently marked in paint. g.Bus stop Recess should be provided within the green belt to accommodate the public transport parking in front of the bus stop. A bus stop is supposed to be designed in such a way that the waiting process should not pinch the user but serve as a source of entertainment and pleasure by providing small activities like board games as part of the designed built envi-

2.1BUS STOP

At the road junction near the Punjab University grounds, there have been proposed some apartments but the front row of these apartments, facing the Isfahani road, has been commercialized.

2.1SIDE LANES

Quite recently we have noticed a sudden shift of land use pattern towards commercialization. Several business concerns have bought these houses and converted them into schools, hospitals and commercial offices. Some people demolished existing houses and built multi-storey plazas. The present scenario is a chaos, all sorts of commercial activity without any regular development or growth pattern piling up in a small stretch of land.

The side lanes are metallic roads 12 feet wide. There is a green belt of 10 feet width between the service lane and the main road. The high tension wires run overhead in this green belt. The green belt is intact where residences still exist. But where there is commercial activity, we can very clearly see cars parked in the setbacks as well as the green belt in the pictures placed here.There is a nullah to the right extreme of this green belt just before its connection with the main road.

There is a bus stop on one way of the road but is missing on the other side. In an earlier picture we noticed people sitting on the curb stone by the nullah waiting for the bus. This bus stop has been provided in the middle of the green belt right next to the curb stone defining the junction of the main road and the green belt. There is no side lane or offset from the main road, the parking space is shared equally by rickshaws, chingchi and bus. Whatever traffic is parked here causes the traffic behind to a sudden halt and thus disturbance.

ABUL HASSAN ISFAHANI ROAD, LAHORE.

A STUDY OF URBAN FABRIC OF

Report by:

Ar. Shazia Hanif 2008 M.Arch. 04

UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY LAHORE

2.1CAR PARKING

2.1TRAFFIC TYPOLOGY

There is every kind of traffic moving on all roads and streets. It can very easily be noticed that a rickshaw is moving in front of a corolla car while a donkey cart is moving in front of a Suzuki car right in the middle of the road. There are no markings on the road for slow traffic and fast moving lanes. No indications for cyclists even. In this picture we find a yellow line but it is too narrow a space to be called

There is no proper provisioning of car parking on the side lanes or the main road. We do find signs of parking but there is no floor treatment, it is barely mud and grass. The conditions are even worse for parking of institutions vans which are parked in the same road side green belt next to the nullah. The main reason for the absence of any proper parking space in the whole belt is that this area had originally been design for residential purposes and that even for detached houses. So, how can we and even why should we expect such a large number of parking spaces in the side lane. We believe that its the responsibility of the local district administration to consider these factors before allowing commercialization of any area. Parking for these residential plots was supposed to be accommodated within the setbacks of the built houses. The market trends and demands today had not been foreseen at the time of designing of this society.