Pakistan is South Asia’s most rapidly urbanizing country. In barely 10 years, nearly 50 percent of its 180 million people will live in cities (a third do today). Nadeem Ul Haque, a former deputy chairman of the Pakistani government’s Planning Commission, discusses what must be done to make Pakistan’s cities a better force for economic growth and development.

This publication marks the third of four policy briefs on Pakistan’s urbanization. The series seeks to share with a wider audience the proceedings of a recent Wilson Center conference that explored Pakistan’s urbanization challenges.