ABSTRACT
Lahore has a rich history of architecture, culture, music, and food from the Hindu, Afghan, Turk, Mughal, Sikh, and British eras. This chapter analyzes the intertwining of various factors that have shaped the morphology of Lahore. Those factors include the political power plays, underlying economic and market forces and the relative ineffectiveness of institutions. The chapter explains the impact of all these factors on the geography, economy, and quality of life for the ten million who live there and hopefully another ten million that would make it their home. Growth of the city can be viewed in two dimensions, the demographics and the geography. The real challenge underlying Lahore’s chaotic urbanization is lack of institutional capacity, and serious obscurity in roles and responsibilities amongst a plethora of authorities, agencies, and departments, at all levels, whether local, provincial, or federal, operating in the same geographical area. A city of the size and importance of Lahore is bound to have multiple stakeholders.
