Kabul Urban Survey - Groupe URD

3.2 Presence of several hills
Figure 3 Figure 4
In the past, the hills were protected and reserved for different social and symbolic
occupations, such as military camps, religious sites, parks or cemeteries. Due to the last
decades of wars and the influx of returnees and refugees, nearly all the hills now are
occupied by self built houses. Each day, the increasing expansion of housing gains ground
on these hills, gradually making their way to the summit. This urban situation, known as
“informal settlements”, is one of the major problems that urban authorities have to cope
with.
Figure 5: Several hills in urban area
Hills gradually occupied by housing
Hills still protected as natural areas
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