11 October

In October 1939, as the clouds of the Second World War gathered over the Indian subcontinent, Lahore stood as the administrative and military heart of British Punjab, a thriving center of commerce, governance, and mobility. During this critical moment, the Punjab Government declared Lahore a War Time Urban Zone and instructed the Lahore Improvement Trust (LIT) to begin urgent urban replanning to meet the city’s growing strategic and civilian needs.

According to the Punjab Government Gazette issued on October 11, 1939, the LIT was directed to prepare a comprehensive plan that included new zoning, housing schemes, road expansions, and modern drainage systems for the city’s southern and western areas, particularly around Ferozepur Road, Mozang, Ichhra, and the outskirts of Model Town.

This initiative marked the beginning of modern urban planning in Lahore. It introduced, for the first time, the concept of planned urban expansion, a model that would later shape the development of Shadman, Garden Town, Muslim Town, and Gulberg.

The wartime replanning reflected a blend of British civic order, canal-based land use, and emerging defense corridors. It redirected the city’s axis of growth from the old walled core toward the south and west. It was also the first time a formal boundary was drawn between the city and the district, a line that would define Lahore’s urban identity for generations to come.

On October 11, 1955, the Federal Cabinet of Pakistan approved the formation of the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) Master Plan Unit, marking the beginning of the country’s first metropolitan level planning institution. This landmark decision came during a period of rapid urban growth as Karachi evolved into the economic and administrative center of the newly independent state.

By the mid 1950s, Karachi’s population had more than doubled since 1947 due to large scale migration, industrial expansion, and the relocation of government institutions. The city’s unplanned expansion created increasing challenges in housing, transportation, sanitation, and water supply. Recognizing the urgency of these issues, the Federal Cabinet directed the Ministry of Housing and Works to establish the Karachi Master Plan Commission, supported by the United Nations Technical Assistance Board (UNTAB).

The Commission was given the responsibility to prepare a twenty year comprehensive plan to guide Karachi’s spatial development, zoning, housing programs, and industrial growth. The Karachi Development Authority was created as the executive body to implement this plan and to coordinate future infrastructure projects. The Master Plan Unit became the core of this initiative and set a model for urban management across Pakistan.

The KDA’s vision described Karachi as a balanced coastal metropolis emphasizing organized residential clusters, industrial corridors, and modern transport systems. This vision provided the foundation for the development of satellite towns such as Korangi, Landhi, Malir, and New Karachi, designed to decentralize population and economic activity from the congested city center.

The 1955 decision transformed Karachi into South Asia’s first major postcolonial experiment in organized urban growth. It marked a shift from colonial style municipal administration to a structured institutional framework for metropolitan planning supported by both national expertise and international technical collaboration.