Analysis of Spatial Structure of Dhaka City from Sustainability Perspective

Abstract

Dhaka is now one of the fastest growing cities in the world. With the huge population base and fast growth rate, Dhaka is facing a daunting task of accommodating huge number of growing populations every year. Internal structure, the urban settings or spatial organization of land use in relation to CBD, of a city is of great importance, as it intrinsically endeavors to govern city’s function, define how people will move, how people will have the accessibility to work place, daily necessities, open space etc. Even the sustainability of a city also depends on urban structure. The main objective of this study is to analyze the Dhaka’s urban structure in relation to standard urban form. It is argued that urban forms have a close relationship with sustainability and a compact urban form is a sustainable urban form. Under these circumstances, this study looks into the possibility of adopting a compact urban form as a growth option for Dhaka. As Dhaka is a polycentric city, three CBDs have been selected based on the commercial activity for this study purpose. GIS based maps have been used to calibrate and analyze the various indicators that define urban structure. Findings of the study shows that the value of indicators are of great disparity compared to the standard value as well as compared to the other countries of the world. For example, the dispersion index for Dhaka is greater than 1 leading to elliptical shape of Dhaka city extending from south towards north leading to more cost in providing utility services e.g. electricity line, water supply network, gas line, drainage network etc. The present structure of Dhaka is not a sudden outcome, but it has long history behind this structure. It is shaped mainly by its topography, transport system, and socio-economic characteristics. The presence of Buriganga River in the Southern part of Dhaka prohibits its expanding towards south. Reversely the openness in the North-West part of Dhaka leads to expand to this direction. After all the present structure and development pattern is problematic. The lack of adequate and appropriate planning measures has also largely contributed to shape the present structure of Dhaka city which leads to high population density, high average distance per person to CBD, dispersed settlements, job-housing imbalance, inadequate shelter and housing, dominance of private vehicles, poor environment and quality of life etc. From the evaluation, it is also found that, despite its compact urban form, Dhaka’s present growth pattern is not sustainable, and the problems are related to unplanned development. However, to achieve the true benefits of a compact development, it is important to integrate transport planning and consider the need of the poor into the planning process so that an urban form for Dhaka is achieved that is sustainable.