Urbanization and Its Effects on Social Stratification in Pakistan
Abstract
This paper investigates the impact of urbanization on social stratification in Pakistan by looking at how fast cities like Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad are growing; consequently raising spatial inequalities. With a rapidly urbanizing population, Pakistan is increasingly polarised by socio-economic status into younger generations who grow up in private housing societies shuttling from walled-off schools to Imam Barahs beneath bridges. This research uses a mixed-methods approach that combines both primary and secondary data to investigate patterns of urbanization, access to resources and opportunities in the pursuit for sustainable development along with considerations how informal settlements shape urban social dynamics. Using case studies of major cities, this paper illustrates variations in urban processes from region to region and these regional differences translate into divergent systems of social stratification. These indicate that the phenomenon of urbanization has opened up new opportunities in terms economic development but at same time aggravated some social inequalities such as education, health care and access to services, housing arrangements, and work. The paper ends with a conversation on the policy / research implications, noting need for more equity driven development strategies to respond to challenges of rapid urbanization in Pakistan.
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