Skyscrapers, Evil Paradises, and Other Dreamworlds
Karachi, Pakistan 2018
The contributing authors of the book Evil Paradises edited by Mike Davis and Daniel Bertrand Monk reveal an unknown world that lies beneath the surface of global dreamworlds. Neoliberal ideals of limitless consumption become materialized in glamorous cities with gigantic skyscrapers, designer shopping centers, and luxurious gated communities. These palatial city structures are priced to ensure that only the mega rich may enjoy them. The current acceleration of the polarization between rich and poor grew out of neoliberal economic policies since the 1980’s. Global agents such as the IMF and World Bank began applying pressure to countries to privatize public services, which often led to an imbalance of access to basic utilities to its citizens, favoring the rich. Globalized outsourcing has resulted in wage suppression and worker exploitation. Cities claim the right to take over private land, uprooting families to make room for corporate headquarters or luxury living for the elite rich. From demolishing a slum settlement in Kabul for colonial-esque “green zones” to Beijing’s slum clearances for the Olympics, the desires of the elite crush anyone in their path. This exclusivity is what makes such paradises “evil.”
According to the book’s authors, their message is a warning to the world to not be hypnotized by the monumental skyscrapers, luxury communities, and entertainment plazas that brand a city. Look on rooftops for servant shacks, between skyscrapers and gated communities for slum settlements. When those at the top of the global class echelon cannot hide this evil, they turn their economic success into a story of reward, perpetuating the myth that those at the bottom just need to try harder. Do not be deceived; the residents of slums do not deserve their conditions; they are left with few choices but to piece together an informal life.
Karachi is an evil paradise in progress. Bahria Town Icon is currently the tallest building in Pakistan standing at 938 feet, a 62 story tall high-rise housing offices, apartments, and a terraced restaurant. It is still under construction however, should be completed sometime this year (2018). There are big plans for the development of skyscrapers in Karachi. The Real Estate Monitor Worldwide reports in their 2016 article titled "Karachi to Become City in the Clouds, 100 High-rise Buildings under Construction," that there are plans to build 100 high-rise buildings in Karachi that will continue construction when the ban, enacted due to the water shortage discussed further below, is lifted. Developers intend to build more high-rise buildings and even a six-lane bridge that will extend over the Arabian Sea.
The coast of Karachi is sought after land for development. Crescent Bay is a luxury space with hotels, apartments, and entertainment only afforded by the elite. In 2013, the Pakistani Press International (PPI) reported in their article "Karachi Fishers Vow to save Their Islands," that Pakistan fishers want to protect nearby shores close to Crescent Bay that are facing similar luxury urbanization by a Pakistani real estate tycoon and a US investment group that want to develop projects including a shopping mall and city spaces for the mega rich. The PPI reports that the Pakistan Fisher Folk Forum argues that this land is necessary for their livelihood and is an ancestral right that should not be sold without their consultation.
Karachi is facing a water shortage that is not only affecting those in the katchi abadis, or slums, but evil paradises and transnational corporations as well. The Supreme Court of Pakistan enacted a ban on the construction of high-rise buildings after hearing a report from the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board about the water crisis. A 2017 article in the Financial Post titled "Ban on Skyscrapers: ABAD Likely to Cancel Expo in Protest," reports that developers spuriously argue that buildings do not consume water, people do, and the water will be consumed whether people are in buildings or shacks. They also share self-justifying concerns that the halt of this construction is going to raise crime rates as unemployment increases. Developers are likely more concerned about the cessation of their many investment projects that are in need of completion than they are with water consumption or crime. Water shortages are not auspicious for the developer’s vision of urban growth in Karachi.
In “Urban space and (the limits of) middle class hegemony in Pakistan,” Ayyaz Mallick discusses the emergence of projects in Karachi that are designed to create a “world class city” for the ruling upper class residents. Mallick attributes this to neoliberal policies and the desires of the middle class to assert its position in the city as a “proto-hegemonic” class, dominated by state personnel, political leaders, and professionals such as doctors and lawyers. The envisioned urban restructuring includes beautification projects, more luxury living (especially along the coastlines), designer shopping malls, and gated communities. Katchi abadi or slum settlements are often cleared to make way for these developments. Mallick points out that the city and developers justify the clearances by deeming the informal settlements as havens for criminals or terrorists.
Muhammad Adeel explores the issue of gated communities in Karachi in his 2017 article "The Suburban Gated Communities of Pakistan.” Karachi is experiencing a socioeconomic divide amongst its residents. Gated communities are rapidly expanding in the periphery of the city. These communities have wider roads and larger living lots for the residents including a garage to fit their car, which is necessary due to the lack of public transportation to these parts of the city. The walled communities exclude those who cannot afford to live within their boundary. There is a striking divide between the gated community and inner city residents evidenced by the aversion of suburban residents to main city areas for fear of congestion. The middle and upper class residents are mostly found in the modern shopping malls that serve American style food and Western brands. Despite any political tensions with Washington, elite Pakistanis enjoy American products, entertainment, and food according to a 2013 article in The Nation titled "Western Brands Corner Middle Class."
There are architectural designs and plans for future master planned luxury living in Karachi. Fazaia Housing Scheme is a project of the Pakistan Air Force is building luxury gated communities that their website boasts will provide security, serenity, and exclusivity. In a country where the military has a powerful pervasive presence, it is not surprising to see the military engage in such projects for it’s elite forces. There are three sites being built near the already established elite resort, Dreamworld. This opulent pocket of Karachi is “leapfrogged” out of the metro city, a term for the location of this kind of development used by Jon Talton in his essay about master planned communities in Phoenix, "Phoenix 101: 'Master Planned Communities'." This leapfrogged distance requires those who work in the city to have the ability to drive to work, as the public transportation in Karachi is still problematic. Fazaia has plans for a shopping mall, colleges, hospital, entertainment, and more commercial spaces so there may not ever be a need for residents to return to the far less dream-like complex megacity down the highway.
Building luxury living in areas out of reach of lower class Karachi citizens emphasizes the social and economic divide happening in Karachi. The developers’ disregard for the water shortage, the razing of katchi abadis and eviction of slumdwellers from their self-built homes, and stealing ancestral land from fishermen is unsurprising in a global city replete with evil paradises. These acts are further encouraged by national and international neoliberal policies during this era of globalization.