FINAL PAPER ICAHP 2017 BATOOL 1 Conservation in the Walled City of Lahore: How State Efforts Affect Historic Cores Tayeba Batool Independent Scholar T. Batool (tayeba@gmail.com) Abstract Historic neighborhoods, often richly endowed with significant historical, architectural or social capital, arouse a critical inquiry in the conservation of urban spaces. The state, in its deployment of various policies, initiatives and interventions, overlooks the various tangible and intangible constructs of the urban fabric. The process of conservation embarks on a discourse that favors tourism and market led development, instead of addressing the real challenges faced by the inhabitants, who constitute the living heritage of the place. This paper argues that any intervention for conservation in historic urban cores should include the inhabitants as primary beneficiaries and equal partners, and thereby address the issues they face directly. This is necessary to identify, protect and promote heritage in all its forms and examine the role of the private sector in the dialogue on conservation. By studying the recent interventions carried out in the Walled City of Lahore by the government, in collaboration with the Walled City of Lahore Authority (an autonomous body under the Government of Pakistan), World Bank, and Aga Khan Foundation, I espouse on the dilemma of how an urban fabric develops and how it should be