A wonderful movement to reclaim Karachi’s public places started this year with the renovation of the old Custom House.

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy’s production company — SOC Films — has documented the process and the results in a short, inspirational clip that she shared on her Facebook page today.

A pioneering effort was undertaken where the Custom House partnered with a team of leading city planners and designers, like architect Shahid Abdulla and designer Danish Azar Zuby, to reclaim the historical legacy of and rejuvenate the Eduljee Dinshaw Road that serves two prestigious architectural landmarks of Karachi: Karachi Port Trust building and the Imperial Custom House. ... The video shows the incredible transformation and heartwarming reactions of people who now visit the place because it’s “pleasant and peaceful”.