The country lacks quality architectural education and training opportunities for professional development in academia as well as in professional practice. The institutions are not producing competent built environment professionals with desired technical skills for addressing country’s growing urban/rural problems. The country has not yet developed strong professional institutions. There is an Institute of Architects and Institute of Planners, but both are under resourced and run by professional Architects and Planners on voluntary basis. Architects are concentrated in four provincial capitals of Pakistan hence leaving rural areas unattended and at mercy of the nonprofessionals. Mostly architects are working for elite class in Pakistan. The middle and lower middle class are unable to afford the services of an architect and most of the time contractors/builders are filling this gap. The survey findings clearly show a need for Pakistan to be supported in strengthening its built environment institutions and professionals to play their role in the country’s urban/ rural development and being able to increase their outreach to the entire country as well as to compete internationally. Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners (PCATP) has initiated its own survey of the profession in the country, the findings of which will be published in due course. We are confident that these initiatives, that are being taken for the first time, will help ensure the regulation of academia and the profession, as we work towards strategic planning to deal with all aspects of the built environment.
2.5.5 SIERRA LEONE35
Mr Sulaiman F Kamara, Research and Community Officer at the Sierra Leone Urban Research Centre & Mr Charles Wright, Associate, Architecture Sans Frontieres-UK Sierra Leone’s cities are growing at an inexorable rate each year. Freetown, the capital city, has grown in population by roughly 2.87% annually since 201536. This rapid urbanisation is now presenting Freetown and other cities with severe growing problems, including increased exposure to extreme environmental events, increased poverty, and decreasing public health. Like many Commonwealth countries, Sierra Leone has not developed strong professional institutions or a pool of qualified built environment professionals with the technical skills to address the country’s growing urban problems. There is an institute of architects and institute of engineers, but both are under resourced. There is also a lack of well-paid job opportunities for Sierra Leoneans in the built environment sector to attract prospective students. Currently there is an overreliance on short-term built environment professionals from more developed countries. Sierra Leone has not embraced the potential for built environment professions to unlock national improvement in the long-term. There are questions regarding accountability and transparency in government institutions, furthermore, Sierra Leone has not had the capacity to effectively legislate, regulate and thereby enforce procedures to ensure safe and equitable urban development. Lack of capacity in local authorities has meant that devolving planning powers from the central government has also not been prioritised resulting in development which is reactive over pragmatic.
35 Anecdotal evidence suggests that there is no planning institute Sierra
Leone (pop >7.5m, >3% urban growth), and only 16 architects. 36 UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Dynamics
There is also a lack of educational options, further training and continued professional development. There have been attempts to establish a School of Architecture in the past and recently, there have been some strong initiatives including the establishment of the
(2018) ‘World Urbanization Prospects 2018’, [03/01/2020], https:// population.un.org/wup/Country-Profiles/
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Planning for climate change and rapid urbanisation