In a region where spirituality once shaped streets, gardens and governance, the story of sustainable urbanism is now returning to its moral origins. Dr Asim argues that the cities of Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Iran still preserve a civilisational balance between faith and functionality — a balance Pakistan urgently needs to reclaim. His framework identifies three interconnected models through which spiritual ethics and environmental design combine to create enduring urban harmony.

Model 1: Comparative Religious Urban Ethics in Practice
In Azerbaijan, Islamic architectural traditions merge with local Sufi and Turkic values to produce a civic ethic grounded in humility, purity and communal care. The Old City of Baku, with its courtyards and integrated water systems, reflects a social structure that values cleanliness and collective maintenance — principles rooted in the Qur’anic command for stewardship. Uzbekistan’s cities, particularly Samarkand and Bukhara, reveal Buddhist and Zoroastrian influences that preceded Islam yet continue to inform modern environmental ethics. Their historic caravanserais and shaded bazaars were not mere trading centres; they were moral spaces built on fairness and cooperation. Similarly, Iran’s Zoroastrian notion of asha (truth and order) still permeates environmental planning, where cleanliness and respect for natural elements are treated as acts of devotion. Together, these examples demonstrate that spiritual values continue to anchor social responsibility, public health and ecological discipline across Central and West Asia.

For Pakistan, the implication is straightforward: sustainability cannot emerge from imported models alone. Instead, it must revive moral foundations that have long existed in its religious and cultural memory. Integrating civic education that draws from Qur’anic ethics, Gandharan moderation and Sikh seva could rebuild a culture of shared accountability in urban governance.

Model 2: Historical-Geographical Urban Continuities
Across Iran, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, the same aesthetic logic — symmetry, water consciousness and sacred geometry — reveals a shared civilisational code of environmental order. Iran’s Safavid cities such as Isfahan and Yazd embody a geometry of devotion where gardens, mosques and public squares coexist as reflections of paradise. Uzbekistan’s urban forms, inherited from Timurid planners, display mathematical precision intended to mirror cosmic order. The Registan Square of Samarkand, for example, symbolises balance between authority, learning and beauty. Azerbaijan’s Baku, shaped by Persian and Ottoman legacies, integrates fortification and fluidity — its urban layout designed to protect, yet harmonise with, its natural environment.

This continuity across centuries shows that urban design in these countries evolved through moral reasoning rather than economic compulsion. It reaffirms Dr Asim’s position that Pakistan’s cities, from Lahore to Multan, once embodied similar ethical geometry before colonial industrialisation fractured this unity. To restore that coherence, Pakistan must realign planning institutions with its historical identity, promoting architecture that combines cultural memory with environmental efficiency. Revival of old garden systems, restoration of water channels, and zoning policies guided by social justice could rebuild cities as moral and ecological systems, not just administrative zones.

Model 3: Integrated Spiritual-Urban Framework
In contemporary terms, this model illustrates how faith-based responsibility can align with twenty-first-century sustainability goals. Iran provides a strong precedent, where urban reforms increasingly combine Islamic principles with green technology. Local municipalities in Isfahan and Shiraz are reintroducing waqf-based (endowment-driven) urban management, ensuring that community trust funds support green housing, waste recycling and public gardens. In Uzbekistan, heritage restoration under modern sustainability policies demonstrates how cultural continuity can drive ecological innovation. The reconstruction of Bukhara’s old quarters integrates renewable materials while maintaining traditional forms of ventilation and light, proving that ancient wisdom and modern technology can coexist effectively. Azerbaijan has similarly pursued green development anchored in cultural identity — evident in projects that link contemporary architecture with motifs from Islamic and Caucasian art, promoting aesthetics that symbolise environmental awareness.

For Pakistan, this integrated model offers both a challenge and a roadmap. The challenge lies in moving beyond short-term infrastructure projects towards an ethical framework of urban responsibility. The roadmap involves linking spiritual stewardship with institutional reform: making amanah (trust), adl (justice) and ihsan (benevolence) measurable indicators in municipal governance. Policies could mandate eco-friendly mosques, faith-based community gardens and civic campaigns encouraging moderation in consumption and waste.

Lessons and Recommendations for Pakistan

1. Moral Integration in Urban Planning — Introduce ethical guidelines inspired by regional faith traditions into Pakistan’s urban development codes, treating stewardship as a civic duty.
2. Cultural Revival through Architecture — Restore Mughal and Persian-era water systems, courtyards and gardens as living models of sustainability rather than relics of the past.
3. Educational Reform — Integrate environmental ethics from the Qur’an, Avesta, Milinda Panha and Guru Granth Sahib into architecture, planning and public policy curricula.
4. Institutional Partnerships — Establish regional research collaborations with Azerbaijan, Iran and Uzbekistan on eco-urban governance under the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) framework.
5. Community-Based Sustainability — Reinforce waqf and seva-inspired initiatives to promote shared ownership of green spaces and public utilities.

Dr Asim concludes that Pakistan stands at a crossroad; either continue urban expansion detached from its spiritual and cultural foundations or reclaim its identity as a civilisation that once saw the city as a sacred trust. The lessons from its regional counterparts are clear — urban renewal begins not with technology, but with conscience. Only when the moral architecture of society aligns with the physical architecture of its cities can Pakistan achieve a sustainable urban future rooted in both faith and reason.