In collaboration with Pakistan’s leading universities, Shehersaaz regularly organizes its Urban Lecture Series inviting prominent urban and social development professionals to share their experiences and thoughts on issues being confronted by Human Settlements in general and urban settlements in particular.
Shehersaaz recognizes children and youth as key actors in sustainable development. It regularly organizes activities in this connection in partnership with educational institutions. The key activities include celebration of international days, establishment of environmental clubs, promotion of walking and bicycling, reduction in use of plastic shopping bags and single use plastic, cleanliness campaigns, distribution of awards for encouragement of children and youth, publication of stories of children and youth led sustainable actions etc.
Under a Memorandum of Understanding with Federal Directorate of Education (FDE)—the institution that manages public schools in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT)—Shehersaaz is mandated to promote school safety in public schools through safety assessments, mock drills, teachers’ and students’ orientation sessions, development of school area safety plans and school safety plans.
Target 4 of SDG 11 (Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable) calls for strengthening efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage. Shehersaaz has adopted SDG 11 as its long term action plan. It has started documenting urban built heritage from angles of resilience, sustainability and cultural cohesion. In 2019, Shehersaaz published a report titled ‘Conservation and Sustainable Development in Urban Areas: A Case Study of Rawalpindi City’.
Earlier on 21st and 22nd March 2018, Shehersaaz presented two papers in International Conference on Health and Environment organized by Allama Iqbal Open University in Islamabad. The papers were titled:
- Urbanization in Pakistan: An inter-censal and inter-provincial/regional comparison
- Improving the Aesthetic Quality of Built Environment in Pakistan: A Comparative Study of Provincial Local Government Acts
