Revisiting and assessing the historic urban landscape of Empress Market and its historic environs in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan

Purpose The concept of Historic Urban Landscapes (HUL) acknowledges how cities have changed over time, resulting in layered histories. Historic monuments have always existed within an urban context rather than in isolation, continually acknowledging relationships with their surroundings’ tangible and intangible attributes. Thus, the purpose of the study is to investigate the historic monument of Empress Market, which has been considered in isolation instead of a broader historic urban landscape of Karachi. Design/methodology/approach The study analyzes the repercussions of the Anti-Encroachment Drive (AED) – 2018 on the conservation of the Empress Market. This research employs Secondary Data Analysis to examine Empress Market’s historical and urban heritage in Karachi. Its conservation context is evaluated using the Historic Urban Landscape Model and global heritage conservation frameworks. Findings The study proposes a HUL toolkit grid to analyze the micro, meso and macro level issues to be considered for heritage conservation and management. The findings emphasize the significance of holistic strategies and community engagement in safeguarding cultural heritage, which is not a common practice in Pakistan. Further, this research studies the urban context of Empress Market and its environs, analyzes the impact and repercussions of the anti-encroachment drive and underlines the importance of safeguarding both the individual monuments and the integrity of the larger urban fabric. Originality/value This study establishes the significance of the HUL approach for heritage site conservation and management. The design of the HUL toolkit grid is a unique approach of this research. It serves as a pilot test for a large-scale heritage building, including its precinct, which can be used for future references for better conservation proposals in Pakistan.