Composite illustration by Farooq Dawood Lahore has transformed rapidly over the previous two decades with more and more land on its peri-urban fringes being converted for new housing developments. Many of these new developments boast of expansive boulevards, ‘aesthetic living’, new commercial centres and modern facilities. Much of the physical development we see around us is dictated by various building codes and standards. For instance, the width of the street outside a house, the availability and share of public buildings, commercial areas, green areas, footpaths in a scheme, are all shaped by such standards and rules. Some housing schemes also offer a smaller number of ‘low-cost’ plots as part of the requirements laid out in such rules. In many cities, changes in such codes and regulations are the result of extensive debate and discussions. According to Eran Ben-Joseph, a professor of landscape architecture and planning at MIT, these changes aim to “reflect societal learning from deficiencies associated with conventional planning and design standards.”