Towards a Low-Income Housing Strategy in the Spirit of Islam: The Case of Lahore, Pakistan

The rapid urbanization has resulted in several problems for Pakistan's low-income people, with housing shortage being the most irritating problem. There is a lack of quality living environment for low-income people. Secondly, our urban environment is lacking Islamic planning and architectural principles. Despite a rich architectural and planning history, we still follow Western traditions. These disturbing issues have been addressed in this research work. This research aims to propose a strategy for low-income housing that suits the social and cultural values of Lahore, and it will reflect traditional Islamic planning and environmental principles. Also, suitable indicators of housing sustainability and affordability in Lahore are to be acquired. The primary sources studied included Christopher Alexander, Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406), N. John Habraken, Charles Correa, Amos Rapoport, Kevin Lynch, Mohammed Arkoun, Hassan Fathy and The Aga Khan Archives. The other literature review topics included low-income people, Islamic principles for planning and architecture, and sustainable and affordable housing indicators. In addition to that, four successful housing projects were also critically analyzed based on their strengths and weaknesses. Data collected from 45 officials regarding the significance of housing sustainability and affordability indicators was analyzed through descriptive statistics or inferential statistics. Another survey was also conducted and analyzed for 53 low-income earners on their social and cultural needs. Based on the data analysis, a housing scheme and house plans were designed for 583 households in Lahore. The housing designs were based on different Islamic planning, sustainability, and affordability principles. Moreover, this study's outcome can be a platform for researchers to pursue further research works.