Karachi — the third-largest city in the world with a population of 16 million is on the brink of irreversible urban decay.

Rukhsana, a 30-year-old single mother from Machar Colony, an unplanned settlement in the outskirts of Karachi, commutes to city center every day to work at an upscale beauty salon. She takes five buses to get to her destination. She cannot work evening shifts as public transport gets crowded during rush hour leaving little or no space for women to travel safely. This is the plight of every woman in Karachi who uses public transportation for work, education and other social activities.

Pakistan is undergoing rapid urbanization at 3% — the fastest in South Asia (Kugelman, 2014). Karachi’s uncontrolled growth has…