FLYOVERS are being demolished all over the world because they are considered ugly and they break the openness of the city. The space they occupy is being turned into parks and recreational areas. This is being done through spatial reorganisation of the city, and by realising that building them is the most expensive way of trying to solve traffic-related issues.

When Karachi flyovers were first planned, there were professionals and civil society members who pointed out that they would solve traffic problems at non-rush hours. But at rush hours, they would increase them considerably. And today, conditions at rush hours at various nodes have become much worse than earlier — not only because of an increase of cars.

I can give a few examples of what has happened in the West, as I am sure that some readers are acquainted with the places I am going to mention. These projects are part of a larger city strategy to reclaim public space.

In the US, the Waterfront Park in Oregon is on a demolished freeway, and so is the West Side Highway in New York. Meanwhile, many US cities have proposals to remove elevated highways, converting them into public spaces, such as the Hudson River Park.

Similarly, France has turned expressways and........

© Dawn