Integrating Social Equity in Urban Resilience Planning in Pakistan: A Case Study of Urban Islamabad

Abstract

The qualitative study, “Integrating Social Equity in Urban Resilience Planning: A Case Study of Urban Islamabad”, explored the effects of current urban resilience planning on the social equity in Islamabad. The semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather a comprehensive insight from the residents of Meherabadi, G11/1, France Colony, F7/1 and Urban Development Professionals. A deductive thematic analysis was conducted through the lens of A Tripartite Framework of Social Equity, highlighting the relationship of three interlinked equities: distributional equity, recognitional equity and procedural equity with urban resilience planning. Distributional Equity is about the fair access of infrastructure, economic opportunities, environmental amenities and services. Recognitional equity encompasses acknowledging different identities, recognizing injustices and promoting respect whereas procedural equity includes public participation in decision making processes such as development plans etc. The study identified that urban resilience planning in Islamabad does not adequately address social equity which hinders the overall resilience of the city leading to disparities among diverse social groups (informal settlements). The urban areas are socio-ecological systems where each entity is somehow interconnected with each other. However, these informal settlements are not provided with basic goods and services and are not involved in decision making processes despite knowing that these communities play an important part in the urban fabric and they suffer more from climate change and other unpredictable disasters. This highlighted the need for integrating social equity in urban resilience planning. By exploring the systemic inequalities, the study helps in identifying the actual causes of poor urban resilience planning and coming up with better policies to tackle it.