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Cities growth pattern are greatly flawed in Pakistan (Ahmad, 2020). Densification through high rise buildings without considering its environmental impacts had become an emerging pattern of cities growth in Pakistan. Rampant construction of high-rise buildings to boost up commercialization in cities had produced complex problems. No doubt there is no choice except high rise to accommodate the ever-increasing demands, however, environmental consideration and development control has been compromised to meet the ever-increasing demand. It not only distraught the physical fabric of cities (Zhao, and Lu, 2011) but alter the pleasant and tranquil communities into vicious places through rampant high-rise construction (Belkina, 2008; Nelson, 2002). Dioxides, (1979) explained that “The most successful cities of the past were those where people and buildings were in a certain balance with nature…”. His research elaborated that “High-rise buildings work against networks of transportation and utility services, since they lead towards higher densities and overloaded roads…” High density could have a positive influence on the reduction of vehicle hours travelled. However, many scholars urge that high-density development increases traffic congestion and thereby the overall environmental effects of motorized transport increased (Cervero, 1995; Levinson and Kumar, 1997; Barter, 2000). In this respect, Levinson and Kumar (1997) uses threshold of density for the effects on car travel time, and founds a positive relationship between density and travel time in cities that had a density above 10,000 Persons Per Square Mile (PPSM), whereas there was a negative relationship when density was below 10,000 PPSM. Their research concluded that travel times fell as density increased and that densities and overcrowding induced traffic congestion and delays on roads and thereby increases air pollution.
In South Asia, demand for vertical growth in cities are increasing due to concentration of population and commercialization (Wali, Yar, and Bircan, 2021). However, there exists no assessment criteria in building bylaws/regulation of cities to allow change in land use pattern within cities. High rise construction is allowed irrespective of the abutting road width and infrastructure capacities. Consequently, construction of high-rise building overburden infrastructure and creates traffic congestion. It always causes to create air pollution and other environmental problems (Shaban, Kourtit, and Nijkamp, 2020). Government has started various curative measures such as ban on heavy vehicles, auto rickshaws (three-wheeler vehicle) and vehicle fitness certification. The interconnected nature of the problems always spoils governmental action to retain the balance through sector approach. In this regards the Hanoi city experience explicitly mentioned that air pollution cannot be reduced through sole manner but through employing an integrated approach to combat the menace effectively (Thuy, 2004). Similarly, government of India used various curative policy measures to check vehicular pollution in Delhi city, but could not remain successful (Kathuria, 2002). His study concluded that in fact the containment of vehicular pollution requires an integrated approach instead of a certain sectoral solution in a sole manner.