Naming roads and neighborhoods should be the responsibility of municipal authorities and city governments
- Globally, cities follow clear frameworks: names linked to geography, historical figures, cultural landmarks, flora, values, or numerical systems.
By Abdullah Usman Morai | Sweden
Names are not just labels. They carry identity, history, dignity, and direction. They shape how people see a place and how residents see themselves.
Yet in many cities, especially in Karachi, the naming of roads, streets, and residential areas often feels accidental, arbitrary, or inherited from informal habits rather than thoughtful civic planning. From Golimar to Bhains Colony, from Punjab Colony to Gidar Colony, from Khamosh Colony to Bewah Colony, and even places like Mukka Chowk, the city is dotted with names that raise eyebrows, provoke jokes, discomfort, or quiet embarrassment, or silently reinforce social stereotypes.
These labels are not harmless. They become part of official addresses, identity documents, school forms, job applications, and property records. A neighborhood name follows its residents for life.
This brings us to a fundamental question:
Who actually decides these names?
Who Is Responsible for Naming?
In principle, naming roads and neighborhoods should be the responsibility of municipal authorities and city governments. Ideally, such decisions should pass through town or district administrations, municipal corporations, development authorities, elected local representatives, and approved naming committees
These bodies are supposed to consider historical relevance, cultural value, geography, and civic dignity before approving any name.
But in reality, especially in rapidly expanding cities like Karachi, many areas are named informally first by settlers, developers, land grabbers, or local communities and later quietly accepted by authorities without proper review.
Once a name enters daily usage, it becomes difficult to change, no matter how inappropriate or meaningless it may be.
When Names Become Casual and Harmful
Some names originate from physical features like cattle markets, open grounds, or wildlife once seen there. Others come from ethnic associations or temporary conditions. Over time, however, these names harden into official identities.
The problem is that many such labels sound derogatory or humiliating, carry animal references, reinforce regional or ethnic divisions, reduce entire communities to jokes, and lack historical or cultural depth.
Imagine growing up in an area whose name literally translates into something mocking, gloomy, or degrading. What does that do to a child’s sense of pride? To a resident’s sense of belonging?
A neighborhood name is printed on identity documents, delivery addresses, school forms, job applications, and property records. It becomes part of one’s public identity.
Words matter.
Why Proper Naming Is So Important
Thoughtful naming of streets and areas is not cosmetic; it has real social, psychological, and administrative impact. A well-chosen name gives residents pride, identity, and dignity. A careless one quietly erodes it. Roads and neighborhoods can honor scholars, artists, freedom fighters, educators, or local heroes, preserving history and collective memory for future generations.
In urban planning, logical naming helps emergency services, postal systems, tourists, and even digital maps function efficiently during navigation. For social harmony, neutral, inclusive names avoid reinforcing ethnic or class divisions. A city’s image reflects itself through its place names. Visitors judge civic seriousness through such details.
From Random Labels to Responsible Choices
Globally, cities follow clear frameworks: names linked to geography, historical figures, cultural landmarks, flora, values, or numerical systems. There is consultation, documentation, and long-term vision.
Contrast that with our reality, where a chowk gets named after a random incident, a colony after an animal, and a street after whoever arrived first.
This is not urban planning. This is urban improvisation.
International Examples: When Naming Becomes Civic Culture
Around the world, place-naming is treated as a serious civic responsibility.
Paris
Many streets in Paris are named after philosophers, writers, artists, and historical figures. Each name reflects cultural heritage and intellectual legacy. Extensive historical research precedes approval.
London
London operates formal Street Naming Committees. Names are linked to geography, traditional professions, or national figures, and local communities are consulted.
New York City
New York frequently honors civil rights leaders and social reformers through street co-naming, allowing historic names to coexist with honorary titles.
Singapore
Singapore follows national naming guidelines emphasizing cultural balance, linguistic sensitivity, and historical continuity. No name is allowed to demean any group.
Time for a Naming Policy
Karachi and cities across Pakistan urgently need a standardized, transparent naming policy that includes, a dedicated naming authority, public consultation mechanism, cultural and historical review panels, linguistic sensitivity checks, periodic revision of inappropriate names, and replacement of degrading or meaningless labels.
Renaming is not erasing history; it is correcting neglect. Cities evolve. Names should evolve with dignity.
In essence, we invest billions in flyovers, roads, and housing schemes, yet spend almost no thought on what we call them.
But names outlive concrete. They shape memory, they carry respect or disrespect. If we truly care about our cities, we must start caring about their language, because a road is not just asphalt, a street is not just a passage, and a neighborhood is not just land. They are living chapters of a city’s story, and every story deserves a name chosen with wisdom.
Read: Sweden Café Echoes of Moro Tailors
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Abdullah Soomro, penname Abdullah Usman Morai, hailing from Moro town of Sindh, province of Pakistan, is based in Stockholm Sweden. Currently he is working as Groundwater Engineer in Stockholm Sweden. He did BE (Agriculture) from Sindh Agriculture University Tando Jam and MSc water systems technology from KTH Stockholm Sweden as well as MSc Management from Stockholm University. Beside this he also did masters in journalism and economics from Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur Mirs, Sindh. He is author of a travelogue book named ‘Musafatoon’. His second book is in process. He writes articles from time to time. A frequent traveler, he also does podcast on YouTube with channel name: VASJE Podcast.
