Re-Thinking Metropolitan Living _ Mixed-use Midrise Developments in Lahore

This thesis explores an alternative model for contemporary metropolitan living through the design of a mixed-use midrise residential development. Responding to the challenges of rapid urbanization, social fragmentation, and environmental degradation, the project proposes a community-oriented housing framework that integrates residential, commercial, and landscaped spaces within a dense urban fabric. The design emphasizes horizontal expansion over vertical isolation by replacing high-rise towers with interconnected apartment blocks, promoting social interaction and spatial continuity. Environmental responsiveness forms a core design strategy, incorporating climate-sensitive massing, shadow and solar analysis, energy performance considerations, and landscape-integrated terraces to enhance thermal comfort and reduce environmental impact. A modular structural grid supports flexibility in apartment typologies and phased development. The thesis aims to re-think metropolitan housing by balancing density with livability, sustainability with economic viability, and private living with collective urban life.