Walled City of Lahore, Pakistan Cultural Heritage for Economic Development

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1 Walled City of Lahore, Pakistan Cultural Heritage for Economic Development Isfandyar Khan and Jaehyang So The Walled City of Lahore Cultural influences of at least three major empires in the subcontinent: the Moghul Empire, the British colonial and the modern Pakistan. Influenced by other, less dominant cultures, such as Afghanistan and China. Lahore contains some of the best of all the empires, as well as smaller scale vernacular architecture. Cultural heritage includes not only monuments but also urban ensembles and the so-called living cultural heritage, (traditions, folklore, arts and crafts and related elements). The wealth of cultural heritage endowments of the WCL represents an enormous capacity to support the development of the city into the future Early experiences have already taken place in Lahore in the nineties, Yet Cultural Heritage very low in priority Need to see it as more all inclusive 30/04/2007 Sustainable development of the Walled City of Lahore WCL/S 2 WCL/CM 1

2 GoPunjab keen to preserve the Cultural Heritage of Lahore YET Low quality of the city experience Decay of the public space. Loss of cultural Heritage Social issues (residents/commercial conflict), unaware of living heritage No orientation towards tourists Multi layered and ambiguous institutional and legal framework development of massive encroachments. How can we ensure the preservation of the assets while exploiting them as a resource to alleviate poverty and improve the living conditions? 30/04/2007 Sustainable development of the Walled City of Lahore WCL/S 3 Phase 1 Implementation of the pilot project This phase foresees the implementation of the pilot project along the Shahi Guzargah. It will showcase methods/processes and produce early benefits on a limited scale. (along Shahi Guzargah) Improved image; better quality of selected parts of the urban space for residents and visitors; preserved cultural heritage; tourism related economic activities developed; community involvement in development process. Back ground: Approached a wide variety of stake holders Bank with support from Italian Government did study to develop the framework Team benefited from close involvement and guidance from Country Director (John Wall) and top GoPunjab officials Project incorporated in Municipal Services Improvement Project Implementation started Action plan Build the necessary knowledge framework, Preparation and implementation of the pilot project Monitoring and evaluation Inputs for phase 2 30/04/2007 Sustainable development of the Walled City of Lahore WCL/S 4 WCL/CM 2

3 Main outcomes: Improved quality of life and experience of the WCL. Preserved cultural heritage. Institutionalize the legal and regulatory framework Tourism related economic activities developed. Community involved in the development process. Economic benefits: Preserved and enlivened cultural heritage is a public good in itself whose value is self-evident. Project focus on delivering defined and measurable benefits for the poor. Small enterprises and craftsmen of the construction sector. Sustainable commercial activities. Handicraft (both construction and commerce related), including the informal sector. Tourism-related activities (restaurants, hotel, tourist guides, tourist transport, etc.). Owners of buildings in the target area. 30/04/2007 Sustainable development of the Walled City of Lahore WCL/S 5 Project actions/2 Institutional/legal framework Charge the recently established Walled City Unit under P&D to: manage the implementation of the pilot project; review the existing legal/regulatory frameworks (under process) and recommend rationalization and update; evaluate the existing institutional framework and recommend the appropriate organization for the management of the historic core. Improvement of the urban environment Improvement of the public space to mark the territory of selected portions of the city core as a quality urban space. Traffic management to organize, administer, govern and rule the vehicular traffic and to enforce environment friendly vehicles. Reduction of the encroachments. 30/04/2007 Sustainable development of the Walled City of Lahore WCL/S 6 WCL/CM 3

4 Project actions/3 Preservation of cultural heritage Cultural heritage conservation strategy Development of conservation skills Restoration of selected monuments The heritage fund, to encourage the conservation of private property. Development of tourism-related economic activities Development and marketing of tourism Handicraft, typical products and tourism oriented skills Heritage trails (Moghul, Sikhism, Sufism, Arts, handicrafts, etc.) Awareness and participation raising Communication campaigns Creation of a partnership group 30/04/2007 Sustainable development of the Walled City of Lahore WCL/S 7 Phase 2 Cultural heritage and tourism This phase envisages the complete implementation of a cultural heritage and tourism based development project that involves the whole Walled City. The experiences of the pilot project will be reflected in the design of this phase. Improved image; Enhanced quality of selected parts of the urban space for the benefit of residents and visitors; preserved cultural heritage; tourism related economic activities developed; community involved in the development process. Action plan Build the necessary knowledge framework Preparation and implementation of the overall project Monitoring and evaluation Inputs for phase 3 Estimated duration of the project: 1-2 years for preparation, 5 years for implementation. Estimated cost of the project: in the range of 20 to 50 million US$ The GoPunjab in Feb 07 entered into a strategic three party partnership with the World Bank and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture to ensure completion of phase 1 and 2 30/04/2007 Sustainable development of the Walled City of Lahore WCL/S 8 WCL/CM 4

5 Progress to date & Critical factors GoPunjab has established contacts with the ADER-FES in Morocco for exchange of experiences and cross-fertilization. GoPunjab has established a PMU that will eventually turn into a specialised agency for historic core management. GoPunjab is passing a law that provides a legal framework to improve the management of historic cores in Punjab and empowers the new agency. GoPunjab is commencing the implementation of the pilot project under the PMSIP project. GoPunjab and WB have started strategic partnership with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Ownership at the highest level key to make any progress especially in an area like cultural heritage 30/04/2007 Sustainable development of the Walled City of Lahore WCL/S 9 Sustainable development of the Walled City of Lahore Questions, clarifications, ideas. WCL/CM 5