I AM KARACHI recently held a dialogue in collaboration with UBL, Pakistan's Best Bank 2016, on 'Transforming Public Spaces into Cultural Spaces' at the UBL Head Office auditorium, Karachi. Through this initiative, I AM KARACHI and UBL aim to collectively rebuild the diverse social and cultural fabric of the city of Karachi. Reclaiming and owning public spaces is one such initiative.

The panelists comprised of Farhan Anwar, Urban Planner & Director Sustainable Initiative; Nasreen Askari Director & Founder Curator, Mohatta Palace Museum; Ambareen Thompson, Executive Director I AM KARACHI and Ali Habib, Head of Corporate Affairs & Marketing, UBL. The dialogue was moderated by Sami Chohan, Acting Head of Department & Assistant Professor Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture.

Expressing her views on the occasion, Ambareen Thompson said, "A city like Karachi is undergoing rapid changes and commercialism has seen erosion of our public spaces and playing fields, where parks are still available, encroachments and neglect have rendered them partly inaccessible. It is our responsibility to find innovative solutions to not only preserve our public spaces but turn them into cultural and recreational hubs." Head of Corporate Affairs & Marketing UBL, Ali Habib added, "UBL is one of the largest banks in Pakistan. We are part of the socio-cultural fabric of this country".-PR

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017