Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody
- Jane Jacobs
Meet Farhan Anwar –
Understanding and documenting cities – Three decades of urban planning, academics, research and civic activism rooted mostly in Karachi — but with lessons for cities everywhere
An urban planner and researcher, academic and citizen activist, Anwar completed his Bachelors in Civil Engineering and Masters in Urban and Regional Planning. He is Founder and CEO of Urban Collaborative, a private consultancy aiming to promote narratives and practices of sustainable urban design in Pakistan. Anwar serves as Associate Professor of Practice at the Social Development & Policy Program at the School of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, Habib University, Karachi (www.habib.edu.pk). Anwar is the Lead Author of the Sanitation Strategy, Government of Sindh and the Author of Pakistan’s National Strategy and Action Plan for the Mangroves of the Future Regional Program
My journeys
Reading Cities!
Recent engagements
All recent engagements →Selected Publications and Research
Reports, strategies, book chapters and research, newest first. Choose a theme to narrow the list.
Why this website
I have spent more than thirty years working on Karachi: teaching, consulting for government and donors, and writing for newspapers. Most of what came out of that work is scattered. Some of it sits in donor reports that were never widely circulated, some in newspaper archives, some in university files and some only on my own shelves.
This website brings it together and keeps it free to read. I hope students, planners, officials and citizens will find it useful. Jane Jacobs wrote that cities can provide something for everybody only when they are created by everybody. Sharing what we know about our city is part of that.
— Farhan Anwar
Farhan Anwar
Urban planner and researcher, academic and citizen activist. Karachi, Pakistan.
An urban planner and researcher, academic and citizen activist, Anwar completed his Bachelors in Civil Engineering and Masters in Urban and Regional Planning. He is Founder and CEO of Urban Collaborative, a private consultancy aiming to promote narratives and practices of sustainable urban design in Pakistan. Anwar serves as Associate Professor of Practice at the Social Development & Policy Program at the School of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, Habib University, Karachi (www.habib.edu.pk). Anwar is the Lead Author of the Sanitation Strategy, Government of Sindh and the Author of Pakistan’s National Strategy and Action Plan for the Mangroves of the Future Regional Program
Over three decades, Anwar has advised the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, World Conservation Union (IUCN) and many other development partners and civil society organizations on water and sanitation reform, municipal services, urban mobility and coastal ecology, and led Karachi Vision 2050, a vision for an inclusive and climate-friendly city. With Shehri – Citizens for a Better Environment he has run programmes on civic engagement, climate adaptation and sustainable transport. He has taught urban planning and sustainability at Habib University, the Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture, IBA and NED University, and writes on Karachi for Dawn and The Express Tribune.
Roles & affiliations
Education
- 2005Masters, Urban & Regional PlanningNED University of Engineering & Technology, Karachi
- 1992B.E. Civil EngineeringNED University of Engineering & Technology, Karachi
- 2020Introduction to Human Centered DesignAcumen Academy
- 2018Sustainable Cities, with distinctionSDG Academy / SDSN
- 2014The Age of Sustainable Development, with distinctionColumbia University, online
Teaching
- 2019–nowHabib UniversityAssociate Professor of Practice since 2022, visiting faculty 2019–2020. Public Policy I & II, Urban Sustainability, Sustainable Urban Mobility, Urban Planning: Past, Present & Future, Social Development & Change, Urban Inequity in Karachi
- 2013–21Indus Valley School of Art & ArchitectureVisiting faculty. Urban Theories and Urban Open Space Design, Sustainable Living, Research Methodologies
- 2016–21Institute of Business Administration (IBA), KarachiVisiting faculty. Sustainable Cities & Communities, Community Development
- 2010–18NED University of Engineering & TechnologyVisiting faculty. Urban Sustainability Planning (Masters), Human Development, Participatory Development, Urban Planning Workshop
Selected projects
- 2024–nowCompetitive & Livable City Karachi (CLICK)World Bank. Urban planning adviser on municipal services delivered by Karachi’s district and town municipal corporations
- 2024–nowEmpowering Youth for Engaged CitizenshipShehri, funded by the National Endowment for Democracy. Training and a course curriculum on civic activism for young people in Karachi
- 2023–24Mapping Karachi’s katchi abadisWorld Bank (CLICK). GIS mapping of informal settlements and a climate disaster risk assessment
- 2023Forging a Community for Green LivingShehri, funded by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation
- 2022–23Karachi Vision 2050Project lead for a team of experts envisioning an inclusive, financially empowered and climate-friendly Karachi
- 2020–nowKarachi Water & Sewerage Services Improvement ProjectWorld Bank. Lead consultant on institutional reforms at KW&SB, pilots in katchi abadis and the Gender Action Plan
- 2018–20Climate Efficient Urban Mobility and Smart City GrowthShehri with FNF. Three-year programme on sustainable urban mobility policy for Karachi
- 2017–23Karachi Neighborhood Improvement ProjectWorld Bank. Urban specialist for community engagement in public space design
- 2016–17Local Government Handbook and Karachi Eco MapShehri with USAID. Urban governance web portal, crowd-mapped eco map and a civic hackathon for university students
- 2015Reimagining KarachiRestoring forgotten treasures and envisioning a tourist district in Karachi. Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture with I Am Karachi
- 2013Pakistan National Strategy and Action Plan, Mangroves for the FutureIUCN. Framework for sustainable development along Pakistan’s coast
- 2012Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for KarachiShehri with FNF
- 2011Sanitation Strategy, Government of SindhWorld Bank. Team lead and lead author, coordinating local and international consultants
- 2010Citizen Report Card on KW&SB servicesWorld Bank. Survey of 4,500 households across nine towns of Karachi
- 2009–10GIS map of green turtle nesting sitesShehri with WWF. Planning tool for the Karachi coast; won the Indus Conservation Award in 2012
- 2006–12Performance benchmarking of water utilitiesWorld Bank. KW&SB and five WASAs in Punjab
- 2006–08Asian Development BankSindh Cities Improvement Project, Karachi Mega City water investment plan, rural access roads assessment in five districts of Sindh
- 2004–05Habitat Management Plan for turtle nesting sitesShehri with UNDP. Training local communities as environmental stewards
- n.d.Restoration of Bath IslandUrban Collaborative
- n.d.Seaview Strip designIndus Valley School of Art & Architecture
Media Gallery
Television, talks, podcasts and films. Each one opens on YouTube or Facebook.
Written Work
Newspaper writeups, publications and academic research. Choose a category and its work opens below.
Recent Engagements
Talks, panels, fieldwork and teaching.
Stills from recent talks, shows and fieldwork. Event photos will be added as they come in.
Blog
Short reflections on the city.
The first posts are being written
Short pieces on Karachi’s streets, coast, transport and neighbourhoods will appear here.