Abstract
This study seeks to emphasize the institutional policy reforms for the mixed use of urban land planning for commercial and residential purposes because land use planning is directly related to transportation and environmental problem. In this study the mixed use of urban land for commercial and residential purpose in the large cities of Pakistan has been measured by using the indices of measurement for mixed use of land. The data collected by Urban Unit of Pakistan and some previous research done for the big cities of Pakistan for measuring mixed use of land is used for this study. To analyze the impact of mixed use of urban land for commercial and residential purpose on reduction in commuting and congestion cost, the current level of mix-use land by using data for main cities of Pakistan, has been analyzed. Lahore is on top of mix-land use index while Rahim Yar Khan is at the bottom. To test the hypothesis, whether mixed use of urban land leads to significant reduction in commuting and congestion cost, a survey was conducted from the two markets in the same area of Islamabad. One market by construction and design had features of mix-use land while the other had commercial use. The exploratory data analysis and non-parametric analysis of survey indicated that there was significant reduction in commuting and congestion cost due to mixed use of urban land for commercial and residential purpose. So, the conclusions suggest that there is a great need for institutional reforms regarding mixed use planning in the big cities.
Keyword(s)
Mixed use of land, smart cities, institutional reforms, Lahore, Congestion