Shehersaaz is a civil society initiative aimed to make the urban and suburban settlements of Pakistan safer, resilient, sustainable, inclusive, and humane. Shehersaaz undertakes research, identifies problems, and offers and demonstrates solutions for addressing the challenges being faced by urban and sub-urban areas of Pakistan.
Our Philosophy
Shehersaaz is a Persian rooted Urdu word compounding Sheher (City or Cities) and Saaz (Maker or Makers). Our subject matter includes all elements that make up or shape a particular city or an urban place including:
- People or inhabitants and their social, economic and political relations with their fellow inhabitants in the same city as well as with those living elsewhere
- Natural and built environment Infrastructure, amenities, services, and utilities Administration, planning and governance
- Simply we are interested in and deal with all which reflect the image and essence of a city.
Aims and Vision
Shehersaaz envisions and aims that all urban and sub-urban places in Pakistan are:
- Safe from all natural and human-made disasters, safety risks, conflicts and crimes
- Physically functional and aesthetically appealing
- Cohesive to natural environment
- Socially inclusive, culturally vibrant and tolerant to diversity
- Economically efficient and equitable
- Politically just, democratic and participatory; and
- Administratively transparent, accountable and responsive to the needs, rights and aspiration of their inhabitants
WHAT WE DO?
- Undertakes research
- Advocates solutions and offers alternatives
- Builds capacities
- Launches and coordinates public campaigns
- Develops and publishes literature on various aspects of urban development
- Collaborates and works with government, non-government, academic and research institutions and businesses;
- Celebrates local, national and international days;
and - Organizes lectures, competitions and events(expos, exhibitions, seminars and conferences) on a variety of urban development themes
How We Work?
Shehersaaz works in the spirit of a voluntary civil society organization. Most of our activities and tasks are performed voluntarily by citizens and members of Shehersaaz. We are fully aware that our subject matter is broad, mission we pursue is enormous, and activities we undertake are diverse; requiring as many minds and hands as possible. Thus we undertake most of our tasks in collaboration or partnership with:
- Common citizens
- Local, provincial and federal government
institutions - National and international civil society entities
- Bilateral and multilateral organizations
- Educational and research institutions, and;
- Businesses
Shehersaaz and SDG 11
The principal purpose of Shehersaaz is to work for sustainable development and management of cities and other human settlements.
- To improve the resilience of communities and urban and rural human settlements to climate change and natural and human-made hazards and disasters;
- To work with government, communities, and other stakeholders for achievement of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which are relevant to Shehersaaz’s mandate; and implementation of New Urban Agenda (Habitat III); Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, Paris Agreement on Climate Change; and other relevant international conventions and covenants signed or ratified, as the case may be, by Government of Pakistan.
For more information about SDG 11(Click on this Link)
Shehersaaz strives to achieve its objectives by:
