Geo-spatial analysis: identification of the central business district of Peshawar, Pakistan

Likewise, other historic cities of Pakistan, Peshawar has two major commercial areas i.e. old city region and Saddar Bazaar. In commercial areas, the Central Business District (CBD) has prime importance, which is the retail heart of a city. Normally, dual cores of the city are present in each city. The cantonment area has suitable grid layout, wide streets & roads and land use planning which make it more dynamic for modern transportation and infrastructure modifications particularly for commercial commuters. The present study is an attempt to identify the CBD of Peshawar using basic characteristics of a CBD. These characteristics are land & rent values, retail volume of sales, vehicular & pedestrian flow, area etc. Using geo-spatial analysis techniques, these characteristics are measured and compared to identify the CBD of Peshawar. The aggregate value of all indicators shows that Saddar Bazaar has 68.25 % value with cumulative probability (% age) of 87.17 %. Saddar Bazaar in cantonment area has no match in these characteristics with old city region and identified as CBD of Peshawar.