Kabul Urban Survey - Groupe URD

programmes with communities for upgrading areas and on the other, it is analysing urban
management and planning capacities at the municipal level with “City Profile Programmes”
which have been tested in Kandahar and Herat. Kabul Municipality has not yet benefited
from this programme, but UN-HABITAT is present and active both in Kabul Municipality and
in the Ministry of Urban Development. UNDP will be participating in the coordination process.
Lack of spatial data on Kabul city and spatial vision in existing urban analysis
One way of understanding an urban situation is to obtain a spatial overview of the city and
suburbs. The analysis of reconstruction efforts and needs in this transitional period between
rehabilitation and development has constantly been confronted with a critical lack of urban
reference maps.
Reticence for producing urban maps
The fact is that Afghanistan is not accustomed to allowing the general public to access maps
of its territory. Traditionally, cartography and geodesy data were a military concern. A
national administration, the Afghan Geodesy and Cartography Head Office (AGCHO), which
works as a Ministry directly under the control of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s
President, is in charge of topographical and cartography surveys throughout the country. The
maps produced by AGCHO are reserved for strategic matters and gaining access to these
maps for civil issues, such as urban development, is difficult. Furthermore, in the past, very
few urban maps were made, because urban areas were not so important and strategic in
comparison with agricultural areas. Moreover, the different conflicts and resulting population
movement over the past few decades have considerably altered urban expansion patterns,
urban landscapes and de facto the urban knowledge of the real situation. Finally, for several
reasons, such as the top-secret use of topographical data, the succession of wars and
subsequent destruction, outdated urban planning skills and the risk of land property disputes,
few urban maps have been updated and the old ones that exist are completely disconnected
from current geographical data. We have observed lots of different background for spatial
representation of Kabul city and in consequences lots of different spatial vision of the city.
Lack of spatial references
In this report, we have written at length about the lack of spatial representation, the
difficulties encountered in obtaining relevant maps, the inexistence of urban plans, the
obsolete administrative spatial references, the absence of cadastral maps, incorrect data on
existing plans, lack of scales and the absence of a detailed urban map. The problem is not
so much having to cope without the necessary maps of the real urban situation, because
satellite images are always available by default. The real problem is what this implies,
i.e. urban authorities do not have a coherent spatial vision for urban issues, nor do they have
an inventory of projects to implement. A considerable amount of work needs to be done on
updating spatial data and establishing an urban planning map.
Lack of coordination and information
There appears to be plans for a coordination mechanism within the MoUD, but in 2006 it is
not yet in operation. There is a lack of coordination at all the levels of decision making,
planning, assessments, surveys, implementation and works. There is no communication
between the institutional actors themselves, but also with civil urban actors and especially
urban citizens. The urban population does not understand why the situation has not
improved. There is the risk that instead of being urban partners, they might become
disruptive components of the urban improvement process.
Urban reconstruction mechanisms
Various urban development mechanisms focusing on different development strategies are
currently being put into operation at different levels. The urban sector is so severely affected
that the challenges are multiple. For example, at the national level, the priority is to define
Page 7