By Azam Tariq

China's newly unveiled urban renewal strategy under its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) offers valuable lessons for Pakistan as the country struggles with housing shortages, overstretched municipal services and growing climate-related challenges, experts say.

The discussion has gained momentum following the release of China's first national-level urban renewal blueprint by the State Council in late May. The plan integrates green infrastructure, climate resilience and urban governance reforms into a single development framework rather than treating them as separate policy areas.

The Chinese initiative is expected to attract investment of more than 15 trillion yuan ($2.2 trillion) over five years and includes the upgrading of 200,000 kilometres of gas pipelines, 175,000 kilometres of drainage networks and the renovation of 500,000 dilapidated housing units.

Experts believe the strategy's focus on revitalising existing urban areas instead of continuous outward expansion is particularly relevant for Pakistan, where rapid urbanisation has placed mounting pressure on infrastructure and public services.

According to the World Bank, 38.36% of Pakistan's population lived in urban areas in 2024. Meanwhile, Karachi ranked 170th out of 173 cities in the Economist Intelligence Unit's 2025 Global Liveability Index, highlighting the challenges facing the country's largest urban centres.

Speaking with Wealth Pakistan, Muhammad Ibrahim, an urban development specialist working on a World Bank-funded project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said Pakistan could benefit significantly from adopting green urban planning principles.

He noted that cities such as Lahore and Peshawar are increasingly affected by the urban heat island effect, where dense concrete development traps heat and worsens air quality. Nature-based solutions, including urban forests and green corridors, could help lower temperatures and improve environmental conditions at relatively low cost.

Ibrahim also stressed the need to redirect Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) and provincial Annual Development Programme (ADP) spending from urban sprawl toward upgrading ageing water, gas and sewerage networks in existing city centres.

He further advocated zoning reforms that promote mixed-use development, enabling residents to access schools, hospitals and commercial facilities within walking distance of residential areas.

On housing, Ibrahim highlighted the Green Building Code of Pakistan (GBCP-2023) as an underutilised tool for improving sustainability in urban development.

He suggested making internationally recognised green building certifications, including LEED, EDGE and BREEAM, mandatory for new high-rise and commercial projects. Such standards encourage the use of rooftop solar systems, rainwater harvesting and energy-efficient building materials, reducing pressure on power infrastructure.

To strengthen climate resilience, Ibrahim recommended adopting the Sponge City concept, which uses permeable pavements, rain gardens and bioswales to absorb stormwater naturally, reduce urban flooding and replenish groundwater reserves.

Arfa Ijaz, an environmental engineer and energy researcher at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), said Pakistan's urban centres face a combination of rapid population growth, climate vulnerability and infrastructure deficits that became particularly evident during the devastating floods of 2022.

She argued that cities unable to manage flood risks or provide reliable energy services struggle to attract investment, retain skilled workers and sustain economic growth.

According to Ijaz, China's urban renewal framework offers two key lessons for Pakistan.

The first is policy integration. She said housing, municipal services, climate resilience and governance should be treated as interconnected components of a single urban system rather than managed separately by different institutions.

Pakistan's urban planning framework, she noted, often suffers from fragmentation, resulting in gaps between housing development and drainage systems, energy planning and building standards, and master plans and their implementation.

"The second lesson is sequencing," Ijaz said, explaining that China's approach prioritises upgrading existing infrastructure before expanding into new urban areas.

She added that Pakistan's secondary cities, including Faisalabad, Multan, Peshawar and Quetta, still have an opportunity to incorporate green building standards, resilient drainage systems and low-carbon energy solutions at the planning stage instead of retrofitting them later at much higher cost.

Experts agree that physical infrastructure investment alone will not be enough to transform Pakistan's cities. Stronger municipal institutions, integrated planning frameworks and financing mechanisms linked to measurable climate outcomes will be essential if the country is to build more liveable, sustainable and climate-resilient urban centres.

Credit: INP-WealthPk