City and Terrorism: Impact of Terror on Urban Culture and the Fabric of Lahore, Pakistan

Abstract

Post 9/11 saw a shift in the way people behaved, used and even looked at the city of Lahore, although the transformation remained subtle and slow. Starting in 2006, Lahore saw malicious terrorist attacks which targeted government buildings, and public and religious places. “CIRCLe” reported that the attacks in Punjab account for only 18% of attacks in the whole of the country, yet in terms of deaths, Punjab is 18 percent of the casualty figure of KPK and 19 percent of the casualty figure of FATA The past decade has impacted the physical as well as the social fabric of the city. Terrorism has given rise to an environment of insecurity in Lahore. It is rapidly reshaping not only the fabric of the city but the everyday life of the residents and the socio-economic dynamics as well. This fear can be examined by understanding how people behave, move, interact, use and reminisce public spaces. In such conditions, fear and paranoia become one of the most important tools for its people to map the city and to understand society in its true form. It becomes imperative to understand the fabric of the city within such realm. The paper aims to understand violence and terrorism forms prevailing in the city, and their evolution. Mapping of the area of Mall road is used to understand the direct impact in terms of design elements that have altered the fabric of the place and photographic survey highlights the transformation in the built environment over the years. The paper will draw conclusions in the form of changes in the built fabric and the resulting behaviour of people in the environment. This will be read as a continuous process of change in the built and social fabric of the society.