Md. Al Mamun
Assistant Director
RAJUK
Md. Ashraf Ali Akhand
Town Planner (Plan Preparation)
RAJUK
Dhaka is the capital of the country located in a strategically central geographical position that accommodates about 10% of the nation’s population. Dhaka is the most industrialized region accommodating the largest number of garment and knitwear factories which earn the highest amount of the foreign exchange for the country. About one third of the national urban population lives in Dhaka that also provides the highest number of non-farm jobs. The city produces more than one third of the nation’s GDP. In the year 1990 Dhaka was ranked as the 24th largest mega city in the world. According to World Urbanization Prospects 2014 published by the United Nations, in respect of population of Dhaka is now the 11th largest megacity. It also forecasts that Dhaka will be the 6th largest megacity of the world with a population of 27.37 million in 2030.
Past and Present Land Use of Dhaka
Since its establishment, Dhaka has grown mostly without adequate planning interventions; substantially organic in nature. The patterns of areal expansion and the urban form of Dhaka have been largely dominated by the physical configuration of the landscape in and around the city, particularly the river system and the height of land in relation to flood level. [Islam, 1996: 191].
There are two dominant general patterns in the historical evolution of urban Dhaka (Nilufar, 2010): old Dhaka or the historic core, and new Dhaka or northern expansion. The latter is actually post-colonial development, an effect of modernization, still spontaneous and organic in the nature. Besides these two dominant factors, five distinct and mutually exclusive spatial patterns are found simultaneously existing in an explicit composition.
Dhaka reached its present status through a series of dynamic changes it underwent during different phases of history. The phases and consequent changes over the years have shaped Dhaka to its present structure.
The growth of Dhaka from 1949 to 1989 largely followed the limits determined by the Mughals (i.e. towards north up to Tongi, up to Mirpur in north-west, up to Postagola in south- east). The growth of modern Dhaka reached its apex just after the liberation war. The growth caused many low lands filled up owing to scarcity of land and consequent rise in its price. All the low lying areas on the eastern and western side came under occupation. In the course of time, land use pattern was modified, and business activities were dispersed from Gulistan to a number of business streets. Although the major commercial buildings were still (in the 1980s) concentrated in the Motijheel area, the activities of CBD also became diffused.
The land use of Dhaka after 1995 shows new pockets of government institutions and commercial use extended from Motijheel towards the northern area, e.g. Karwan Bazaar, Gulshan, Agargoan, Mahakhali, Banani and Sher-E-Bangla Nagar area. After the liberation new CBD’s developed in Bijoynagar, D.I.T Extension Road and Toynbee Circular Road. Another CBD emerged in the New Market and its surrounding areas, and all the highly integrated lines were within this newer part of Dhaka.
Urbanization Trend of Dhaka
Dhaka’s urban population is growing at an estimated 4 per cent each year since independence, at a time when national population growth was at 2.2 per cent (World Bank: 2007). This phenomenal growth is partly driven by the reclassification of rural areas into urban areas and natural urban population growth but also partly by considerable rural to urban migration. That large rural-urban population flows have been the key driver of the process of Urbanization of Dhaka city. A recent study by PPRC found that just 21 per cent of urban residents were born in the city they reside in and this figure has dropped to 16 per cent for Dhaka residents. The study found that pull factors such as employment and education opportunities were the main reasons for the shift to urban areas.
Dhaka alone contains 37% of total national urban population, conforming to the classic case of primate city in which the population of the largest city is more than the combined total of the three next largest cities of Chittagong, Khulna and Rajshahi. Dhaka’s inexorable growth as a primate city is mirrored in the extreme centralization of decision making and political authority. It is moot point as to whether a more vigorous policy choice towards decentralization might have resulted in a greater spatial balance of urbanization even with Dhaka continuing to be the leading city.
Physical Growth of Dhaka
Dhaka is in a continuous process of urban expansion. Dhaka emerged as an important strategic and business centre along the river Buriganga at the beginning of Muslim rule in 13th century. The area of Dhaka Mega city had expanded 17.88 times from its size in the year 1951, over the same time period population had increased 25.09 folds (Islam et al.). The following figure illustrates tentative spatial growth of Dhaka from seventeenth century to twenty first century. But such expansion was never happened in a planned way though several plans were prepared to guide and regulate development of Dhaka City. Since after liberation till today, capital city Dhaka accommodates major share of urban population.
A central Business District (CBD) was developed to meet the demand for space required for increasing commercial and government administrative activities. Initially, the needs for official, educational, residential and administrational spaces were fulfilled by the expansion of the city in Purana Paltan to Naya Paltan, Eskation to Mogh Bazar, Siddiheswari, Kakrail to Kamalapur through Razar Bagh and Shantinagar, the Segun Bagicha, Azimpur, Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Shre-e-Bangla Nagar, Tejgaon, Gulshan Model Town and other areas were encroached on between 1950 and 1960. The Banani and Gulshan areas were acquired by the government in the early sixties under the 1959-Master Plan of Dhaka City and by 1961, the city population grew to 718,766 and the area at that time was about 125 sq. km. As very rapid urban growth (along with a fast increase in population and infrastructural development) started to take place, a new strategic plan was needed to guide future development of Dhaka. DMAIUDP project was undertaken in 1980 but the proposals are not implemented.
The population leapt to 3 million within a decade of the independence of the country and the city covered an area of about 510 sq. km. by 1981-82. To accommodate the growing population, it began to expand in all directions including the low-lying areas of the east, such as Jurain, Goran, Badda, Khilgaon, Rampura, and to the west including the areas of Kamrangirchar, Shyamoli, Western Mohgammadpur, Kallyanpur. However, the expansion of Dhaka City is constrained by physical barriers such as the low-lying flood prone areas around the city. Also, valuable agricultural and forested land will have to be sacrificed if the built-up area is to increase. A study by Dewan et. al. (2010) exhibits that urban built-up area of Dhaka increased from 5,500 ha in 1975 to 20,549 ha in 2005.
Dhaka City has faced its highest rate of physical and population growth during 1981-1991, with the population doubling during that decade and the city expanding from 510 sq. km to 1353 sq km. During this period the swamps and wetlands within the city started to disappear quickly and new areas of residential, administrational, business and commercial importance began to develop. Understandably these additional people have created tremendous pressure on the urban utility services and other amenities of urban life. The city now includes the surrounding areas of Gazirpur, Savar, Narayangong, Bandar thanas and the entire thana of Keraniganj. The constructions of two bridges over the Buriganga river has encouraged the expansion of Dhaka City in a southern direction to the other side of the river.
As urban growth of Dhaka City is not commensurate with the economic and social development of the country as a whole, significant portions of the urban population are living below the poverty line. The percentage of the urban population living below the poverty line is comparatively higher in Dhaka City than other urban centers of the country. Consequently, the city has had a massive growth in slums and squatter settlements in recent decades. The ultimate result of such unprecedented growth of Dhaka is the current population of Dhaka, which is now about 12 million and expected to grow around 20 million in 2020 to make it world’s third most populous city. Accordingly there are several tiers of urban governance system in Dhaka. Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) & Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) are the main municipal authority.
Population Growth
The population of Dhaka rose to 335,928 in 1951 and to 556,712 in 1961 (Table-1). But, the population started to grow in a higher rate since 1971 when Dhaka became the capital of independent Bangladesh.
Population Density in Relation with Existing Residential Land Use
The population density of Dhaka is believed to have reached around 34000 people per sq. km., making Dhaka among the most densely populated cities in the world. With an average household size of 4.9 persons (Seraj), Dhakais now growing at an unprecedented rate accommodating more than 600,000 people per year (CIA-The World Factbook). Up till now, about 65% of the total growth of population is due to migration. At this situation it is assumed that every year more than 120,000 household units are required to be housed, in Dhaka. (6th FYP)
Land Use Planning for Dhaka
Land use policies as stated in various previous planning initiatives throughout the history of Dhaka. In this section some critical analysis of previous planning initiatives are highlighted along with various planning strategies. These initiatives can be divided into two broad categories: (i) Planning for land use development, and (ii) Planning for transport and utility service.
Major land use development planning initiatives are
w Master Plan for Dacca, 1959
w Dhaka Metropolitan Area Integrated Urban Development Plan, 1981
w Land Study for Dhaka City, 1993
w Dhaka Integrated Flood Protection Project- FAP 8A and FAP 8B
w Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan (DMDP), 1995-2015
w Dhaka Structure Plan (2016-2035)
Existing Land Use Planning Issues for Dhaka
Issues associated with the land use and its planning is multifarious and complex. The most severe issue to realize a land use planning proposal is the huge shortage of buildable lands within the city core of Dhaka and its vicinity. The main reasons of such shortage are as follows:
(i) Excessively high land prices, partly due to the prevalent land hoardings by the rich individuals and the private land developers. Without taxation there will be an excess demand for land and real estate that can easily have a spiral effect on prices especially in a densely populated country like Bangladesh.
(ii) Growing population pressure and growing income have all contributed to a rapid escalation of land prices, especially in major metropolitan areas like the capital City of Dhaka and Chittagong. For example, between 1972 and 2010, land prices in Dhaka city grew by an average of 100-125 percent per year. Allowing for the average inflation rate of 9 percent between 1972 and 2010, real land prices in Dhaka have grown by a whopping 91 percent per year.
Detailed Area Plan (DAP) 2010-2015
Detailed Area Plan (DAP) is the third tier of the three stage DMDP plan package. RAJUK took up detailed area plan project in 2004 and completed in 2010, fifteen years (2010) after the preparation of the DMDP. The DAP was prepared for the entire RAJUK area of 1528 sq. km, and not for selected SPZs as suggested in the structure plan. The Detailed Area Plan project area was divided into 5 groups and 11 locations on the basis of geographical location and settlement pattern.
The general objectives for the preparation of the Detailed Area Plan were envisaged as
w Implement the Structure Plan and the Urban Area Plan policies
w Guide and control urban development in an orderly manner in preferred areas
w Create an urban environment where citizens enjoy the services that suit urban living
The major focus of the DAP was, first to put a control over free for all development within RAJUK area through land use zoning and second, to lay down the framework for development of future infrastructure and services. While the first objective has been partially achieved, the second focus has virtually been ignored.
Land Use Situation
All land use data have been processed using mainly, DAP GIS data, and Satellite image analysis and field survey. In order to understand characteristics of urbanization and land use pattern in RAJUK area, the analysis has been presented on region wise like (1) Dhaka Central region; (2) Northern Region; (3) Eastern Region; (4) Western Region; (5) Southern Region; and (6) South-Western Region. The following chart (figure 12) shows that agricultural land use with about 43.27% of the share of total land uses, still dominates the study area. Agriculture land use includes all types of cultivated land/forest/barren land. The second major land use is residential use that occupy 34.66% of the RAJUK area. Besides, there is about 10.32% water body, about 2.47% circulation network, about 2.43%, 1.94%, 1.08% for public facilities, industrial and commercial activities respectively.
There exists significant amount of land under restricted areas which covers an area of 2.70% of the study area. Besides, about 0.77% and 0.35% of lands are being used for mixed and recreational purposes. The map is shown (figure 13) in the following page.
Analysis of satellite images supported by statistical data explicitly indicates that there has been a speedy expansion of built up area within RDP area through transformation of permanent water bodies and vegetated areas. This built up area, used generically here, mainly includes all the areas that are covered by concrete surfaces as found from the reflectance value of image pixels. The analyzed images show that the expansion of built up area mainly occurred to the northern (north and north-west) region of RDP area. In that sense, urban expansion is mainly directed towards Savar, Ashulia and Uttara areas.
Conclusion
Being the capital of a developing country and as the core of major trade, commerce and industrial activities, it is obvious that the urbanization rate of Dhaka city is the highest in the country and the population is also increasing alarmingly. Land use planning is a public policy exercise to support achieving territorial development goals of a city. It is the high time to make the city environment friendly and favorable for the present and the future.
