Journal of Art, Architecture and Built Environment

Revitalization of Urban Spaces for Socio-economic Sustainability within the Walled City of Lahore: The Case of Chowk Wazir Khan

2023-08-31T10:13:17+00:00

Urban transformations play a vital role in developing or ruining the historic urban landscape of heritage sites. Indeed, there is a close relationship between urban morphology and cultural and socioeconomic activities conducted in the urban spaces of historic cities. The current urban interventions and intrusions have fashioned new developments in and outside the historic core of Lahore. Chowk Wazir Khan, situated in the Walled City of Lahore, contains intricate Mughal architectural elements and remains a versatile public space that serves as a center of cultural and economic activities. This study is focused on the priorities of urban transformations during the revitalization, regeneration, and reconstruction projects implemented in view of preserving the socioeconomic sustainability of the aforementioned heritage site. The interventions like conscious transportation, landuse, street scape etc have a great impact on the built environment, also affect the continuance of the traditional roles within historic environment. The main aim is to explore these socioeconomic variables within the historic setting and their impacts on the heritage site. The study also aims to draw the indicators which generate pressures on the historic city. The current research would help to discover the complex economic and technological processes enacting urban change in order to balance social activities, support the future of the historic center, and contribute towards social sustainability. To conclude, urban transformations in historic cities such as the Walled City of Lahore must be planned and centered to its historic urban fabric. Furthermore, public urban spaces should be intended and organized keeping in view the economic needs of the residents.

Impacts of Pandemic on Urban Pedagogy, Research, and Practice: Online Studio Pre-Requisites, Opportunities, and Pitfalls

2023-08-31T10:17:33+00:00

Online studios gained popularity in the wake of the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Physical “lockdown” of Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) forced the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan to allow universities to carry on learning and examination through the online mode. HEC developed protocols and in consultation with university administrations recommended faculty training, procedural formulation, and technology development requirements for the continuation of online classes and examination. This initiative motivated the departments and schools of architecture in different universities to undertake online classes as well as studios. Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners (PCATP), the accreditation body, laid down further protocols for conducting online studios and juries. Thus, between spring 2020 and spring 2021 an online studio pedagogy emerged. The current study brings together thinking, experiences, and viewpoints on online studio pedagogy through a review of webinars and online documentation, conducted along with the interviews of professionals, academics, and students. The main objective of this research is to verify the significance of online studio vis-à-vis studios and juries conducted physically. It also aims to delineate the pre-requisites, opportunities, and risks involved in online studios in the context of Pakistan. Students’ feedback on the importance and preference of online or physical studio was collected through online survey and face to face (F2F) discussion. SPSS was used to correlate the variables. The study would help studio instructors and learners to improve their capabilities, equipment, environment, and daily discipline. Moreover, it is also expected to contribute in the discussion on National Curriculum development towards a more realistic, relevant, and resource efficient means for architectural education.

Fly Ash Cement Block as a Sustainable Product versu s the Clay Brick: A Case Study Conducted in Sargodha, Pakistan

2023-08-31T11:51:31+00:00

Environment is one of the greatest assets of human kind for its survival but due to pollution and environmental damage from anthropogenic activities, human race has caused greater damage to it. Hence it is need of the hour to transform these pollutants and waste products into environment friendly products to ensure their negative impact is reduced. One of these products from burning of fossil fuels and Kilns is fly ash. The research aimed with developing potential of the fly ash from the Sargodha city brick kilns and then transform it into a sustainable green product i.e. fly ash cement block. With exploration of amount produced from multiple kilns, the waste was collected to form four different compositions of sample blocks which were produced and further tested for compressive strength and water absorption tests. Results showed that 10% fixed cement proportion with 60-70% fly ash delivered a competitive product against the local bricks produced which are neither green nor sustainable. The samples were also taken to the local market of Sargodha city to potentially evaluate the economic value addition. People were willing to use fly ash cement block as it has the capacity to compete with the local available non-green products if produced on commercial large scale.

Examining the Intricacies and Perpetual Issues in Urban Informal Settlements: Lessons from Two Case Studies of Informal Settlements in Lahore, Pakistan

2023-08-31T12:05:58+00:00

Informal settlements have become a central part of urban imagery. It is a self-organized form of urbanization that expands beyond the reach of the state and encroaches upon, infiltrates, and inundates cities in the Global South. The forms of urban informality develop and offer a means of habitation for the urban poor, characterized by a lack of basic services, overcrowding, economic vulnerability, and an unhygienic urban environment. In Lahore, a metropolitan area with more than 11 million residents, informal settlement growth is the most perceptible. The current study deploys a case study approach to explore informal settlements in order to fully understand the intricate socioeconomic and physical issues that arise in these settlements. Fieldwork, which involved in-depth interviews, casual conversations, and photography surveys, was used to conduct this research. The data was collected using a proportionate and random sampling technique, with 80 samples from Shamspura Colony and 67 from Zia Colony obtained using Solvin’s formula. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) were used to ensure that the data was geographically dispersed throughout the settlement.. The outcomes showed diversity in the two selected case study areas, namely Zia Colony and Shamspura Colony, in terms of the built environment, social aspects, governance issues, and economic opportunities. This research offers a more multifaceted synthesis of the problem by bringing together the social and physical constructs which may lead to a greater understanding of informal settlements issues and better strategies for addressing them at the local, national, and regional levels.

Reviving the Forgotten, Diminishing Glory of Sikh Heritage: A Case Study of Haveli Ranjit Singh Gujranwala, Pakistan

2023-09-05T05:59:41+00:00

Heritage is the legacy of the past, a memoir of history, pride, and inspiration cherished by one generation and passed to the next generations. It elucidates the glory and value, architectural significance, continuity, and identity; which define who we are. Despite the importance of heritage, it’s never guaranteed to survive and be passed on to the next generations at its best. Many of the glories of past got buried under the layers of time, forgotten and abandoned. These heritage structures are severely dilapidated with structural distress and vandalized due to encroachments. This research paper emphasizes the elapsed and neglected heritage building of the Sikh clan; the founders of the city, located in Gujranwala, to document the significance of the structure, its causes of decay and neglect, and the importance of its conservation and revival. To give it life to be explored and appreciated by the public. The qualitative research methodology was adopted for this paper to document the heritage structure, using both primary and secondary resources including photographic surveys, interviews, detailed site inspection, and literature review. The objective of the paper is to document this haveli, explore causes of neglect and deterioration and how to address it, in the later stage, how to enhance its value to open it for both national and international tourism.

Analyzing Satisfaction with Mandatory Open Spaces available to Residents of DHA, Lahore

2023-08-31T12:28:09+00:00

Housing is an essential requirement for all human beings. Therefore, the government has established certain laws and regulations for housing acquisitions. Human needs are just as vital as the presence of amenities when it comes to housing. In addition to serving as a place for living and daily activities, housing plays a crucial role in facilitating social interactions and engaging in social activities among people.. To fulfill human needs, open spaces have been rendered mandatory by the government. The underlying intention of the current study was to determine citizens’ satisfaction regarding the open spaces for the current house planning patterns in DHA, Lahore. The current research drew upon the data gathered from a comprehensive questionnaire that encompassed various queries aimed at assessing user satisfaction. Additionally, route analysis was conducted, considering both practical and social factors, including external variables, to predict the community's perception of open spaces and their corresponding satisfaction levels. Factors, such as a sense of privacy, compliance, and security emerged as the most significant influences on citizens’ satisfaction. Moreover, based on the findings, citizens expressed the need for a review of the residential building regulation by-laws, emphasizing the importance of the above factors.