sindh high density development act, 2010 presentation by roland desouza

Sindh High Density Development Board Act 2010 5 July 2014

TThhee SSiinnddhh HHiigghh DDeennssiittyy DDeevveellooppmmeenntt BBooaarrdd AAcctt 22001100

Roland deSouza Shehri: CBE


EEvvoolluuttiioonn ooff KKaarraacchhii Population

Pre - 1840s Small fising village 0.008m 1840 – 1947 British colonial town 0.4m 1947 – 1956 Chaos reigns 2m 1956 – 1970s KDA schemes 3.5m

1980s – 2002 Violations start 5m

Post – 2002 End of planning/control 12m

Today 22m


KKDDAA && OOtthheerr SScchheemmeess Over 40 residential, industrial and

amenity schemes --- with public input Taimura, Nazimabad, N. Nazimabad,

Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Kahkashan, Landhi Industrial Area, Orangi, Baldia, Gulistan-e-Jahhar, Kidney Hill Park, etc

Excellent planning --- with infrastructure Zonal Regulations formulated for each

scheme


KKaarraacchhii BBuuiillddiinngg && TToowwnn PPllaannnniinngg RReegguullaattiioonnss 11997799 Prepared in two parts

Based on plot-lease conditions

Retained COS, zonal regulations, plot-

ratios, parking/loading spaces, etc

Incorrectly notified under SBCO 1979


KKaarraacchhii BBuuiillddiinngg && TToowwnn PPllaannnniinngg RReegguullaattiioonnss 22000022 Start of formal decline

Violation of plot-lease conditions

Changed COS, zonal regulations, plot-

ratios, parking/loading spaces, etc

No concern about infrastructure


EEnnvviirroonnmmeennttaall PPrrootteeccttiioonn AAcctt 11999977 Also protects the built environment

IEE: Initial Environmental Examination

EIA: Environmental Impact Assessment

EIAs critical for increased densification/

high-rise/change of land-use projects

Public hearings & expert committees


PPuurrppoossee ooff bbuuiillddiinngg EEIIAAss Study of impacts on utilities, traffic, transport, parking, social and physical amenities, noise, public nuisance, pollution, etc

BUT

as perceptively stated by an EPA official at the federal level


EIA ka kam hai haram ko

halal banana


KKBBCCAA HHDDZZ CCoommmmiitttteeee ffoorrmmeedd iinn 22000088 Prominent city architects inducted: To identify Karachi areas suitable for

commercial densification To revise strategies and bye-laws To develop a world-class megapolis A report was prepared . . .

and submitted in 2009


HH..DD.. DDeevveellooppmmeenntt BBooaarrdd AAcctt 22001100 Unmindful of ground realities in Karachi Ignoring the lack of gas, electricity,

water, sewage treatment Disregarding traffic congestion & lack

of mass transport Planning for the 5% upper income at the

expense of the 95% low income


TToo ssaaffeegguuaarrdd eevveerryyoonnee’’ss iinntteerreessttss MMQQMM CChhaaiirrmmaann PPPPPP CCoo--CChhaaiirrmmaann

HHiigghh DDeennssiittyy DDeevveellooppmmeenntt BBooaarrdd


IImmmmeeddiiaattee aaddvveerrssee rreeaaccttiioonn AAtt pprreessss ccoonnffeerreennccee,, ccoonncceerrnneedd aarrcchhiitteeccttss hhoowwlleedd iinn pprrootteesstt!!

Architects scoff at govt’s high density bill By Samia Saleem

Say bill is open to misuse by authorities

KARACHI: The Sindh Hi h D it D l t B d Bill hi h d


RRuulleess && PPrroocceedduurreess 22001111 Violating urban planning principles: Unlimited size plot amalgamation

Height-related setbacks removed

Unlimited size plot amalgamation

Plot-ratios increased (from 1: 5.5)

o 3000 - 5000sqyds = 1: 8

o > 5000sqyds = 1: 12


Height-related setbacks removed

“Commercialization” of residential

plots, without public objections

procedure

Inadequate parking standards retained

A definite formula for disaster!!


DDeeccllaarreedd HH..DD.. ZZoonneess I. I. Chundrigar Road CCoonnggeesstteedd

Railway/KPT Marshalling Yard AAmmeenniittyy ssppaaccee

Mai Kolachi Expressway RReeccllaaiimmeedd ffrroomm mmaannggrroovveess

M. T. Khan Road KKPPTT’’ss LLaallaazzaarr//KKaattcchhii aabbaaddiiss

Areas of Civil Lines

Khayaban-e-Jami

Clifton Waterfront


AAnndd .. .. ..

Mauripur Waterfront KKaattcchhii aabbaaddiiss Machar Colony KKaattcchhii aabbaaddiiss Shirin Jinnah Colony KKaattcchhii aabbaaddiiss Sultanabad KKaattcchhii aabbaaddiiss As was done with ‘commercialized roads’ notification, more will be added later


TThhee ppooiinnttss ttoo ppoonnddeerr Worthy objective?

How is it being achieved?

Karachi transformation:

‘World-class Mega-City’?

Environmental issues?

Beneficiaries of this legislation??


SSuupprreemmee CCoouurrtt qquuoottiinngg EEnnccyyccllooppeeddiiaa BBrriittaannnniiccaa

“It was realized, after bitter experience with suburban land speculations in the 1920s, that the interest of the owner and developer of raw land is sometimes temporary and purely financial, while the urban community must live with results for generations afterward.”


SSHHDDBBAA 22001100 eexxaammppllee Bahria Town Icon Towers is

one of the first Contains shopping mall,

hotel, offices Has become controversial

owing to reckless modification of public roads and encroachment on park


IIssssuueess iinnvvoollvveedd Multiple illegalities, typical of “temporary

and purely financial interests”:

Capture of park (amenity) land

Violation of SC orders in CP 466-K/1992

etc regarding building plans

Commercialization on a ‘non-declared’

road, without public hearing


‘Haram’ into ‘halal’ EIA procedure

Started construction 2 years before EIA

Affecting environs of three

‘protected heritage’

structures:

o Jehangir Kothari Parade (90years)

o Abdullah Shah Ghazi Mazar (1,200years)

o Sri Ratneshwar Manadev Mandir (2,500years)


Utilities, amenities, & infrastructure not

available

Persuading KMC to build subterranean

2,500-car parking garage in adjacent

amenity park


OOrriiggiinnaall 55 && 66 // CCFF--55 CClliiffttoonn QQrrttrr

9,436 sqyds

HHuussssaaiinn--DD’’SSiillvvaa PPaarrkk


NNeeww 55 && 66 // CCFF--55 CClliiffttoonn QQrrttrr

17,327 sqyds

BBaahhrriiaa TToowwnn

IIccoonn TToowweerr


CCoommppaarriissoonn

Extra 7,891 sqyds of Bagh-e- Ibn-e-Qasim amenity land


UUnnffeeaassiibbllee pprroojjeecctt Surrounding roads unable to handle

project traffic (cars, water-bowsers, etc)

Therefore, construction of under/over-

passes, disturbing pedestrian & bus

traffic became imperative

Road loops in park, and in front of Mazar

& Parade


Inadequate off-street parking,

necessitating underground parking on

amenity park

land

Started work

without the

mandatory EIA


RRuuiinn ooff KKootthhaarrii PPaarraaddee


DDaammaaggee ttoo TTeemmppllee


‘‘NNoommaann CCoosstteelllloo’’ EEIIAA Excellent, but uncharacteristic, rejection of

22-storey apartment building near KGS

“After careful review of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Sindh, has decided to reject the project being contrary to environmental objectives for the following reasons:


(i) Construction of proposed project pertains to commercialization of Khyaban-e-Saadi planned for its conversion from low density to high density zone which refers to change of land use from residential status to commercial. The change of such status required that the Environmental Impact Assessment of the said corridor should have been conducted earlier for objectives of assessment of cumulative impacts of high rise structures on environmental resources of the location including built


environment/ infrastructure and public utilities [emphasis added]. Environmental Impact Assessment conducted for conversion of individual residential plot to construction of multistory building will not serve the purpose to assess the impacts thereof in connection to environment, social and ecological resources in the vicinity of Khayan-e-Saadi. Also the mitigation measures stated in the EIA report to address the impact cannot be considered sufficient in isolation of integral approach”


WWhhaatt ddiidd SSEEPPAA ssaayy?? 1. Residential plots cannot be individually

‘commercialized’ or changed from low-density to high-density: the cumulative effect of all such potential buildings in the vicinity must be considered.

2. Mitigation measures suggested in EIA report “cannot be considered in isolation of integral approach”


3. Building is “socially unacceptable” and “does not meet the requirement of sustainable development.”

4. “That construction of proposed building will cause additional burden on sewerage network, water supply system and electricity consumption which will enhance sufferings of local residents. Therefore commercialization in absence


of enhanced infrastructure will only be a great nuisance instead of providing benefits of development.”

5. Nearby residents will be adversely affected with increased air and noise pollution and privacy violations, “devaluation of property”, “interruption in sunlight, obstruction of wind flow as well as shadow effect of building leading to unaesthetic values in the


vicinity”, “using heavy machinery will cause vibration of subsurface formations which will lead [to] damage to the property of residents in close proximity of the plot.”

This rejection by SEPA led to a) Cancellation of the Commercialization

NOC previously issued by Master Plan! b) Non-approval of building construction

plans by SBCA!


HHyyppooccrriissyy iinn ggoovveerrnnmmeenntt All the above took place at the

proposed 22-storey ‘Noman Costello’, around the corner and1 km away from the Bahria Town Icon Tower project

It happened in October 2010, a mere 6 months after the 68-storey (!) Bahria Town Icon Tower project was issued an EIA without a murmur (despite strong objections from citizens)


Other similar monstrosities are on the

anvil or have started construction e.g., COM-6 in the Boating Basin Park o On a commercial plot meant for

small single-storey shops to serve park visitors (not a massive office building)

o On Kh-e-Saadi, the same road on which ‘Noman Costello’ was rejected


WWaakkee uupp,, ffeellllooww cciittiizzeennss aanndd pprrooffeessssiioonnaallss!!

TThhee ccaammeell iiss ttaakkiinngg oovveerr tthhee tteenntt!!

sindh high density development act, 2010 presentation by roland desouza

Law

govts high density bill

plot ratios

plotlease conditions

public nuisance

authorities karachi

karachi transformation

karachi areas suitable

t b d bill