SUSTAINABLE URBANISM AT NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL: POSSIBILITIES AND PRACTICE IN PLANNED RESIDENTIAL AREAS OF DHAKA

Abstract

Urbanization or urban drift is probably the most complex and fastest growing socio-economic phenomenon in today’s world. Cities are now practically the drivers of economic growth for a country. As of United Nation’s 2014 data, it is projected that, two-third (66%) of the world’s population would be living in urban areas by 2050. Now, this huge shift of world’s population from rural to urban areas does not only mean that the economies of those countries will bloom, it also indicates drastic exploitation of environmental resources to accommodate more “developments”.

Bangladesh witnessed tremendous rate of urbanization during the last few decades. The physical growth of the country is, however, associated with multi-faceted problems. Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is one of the fastest growing and most densely populated mega-cities in today’s world. With an area of about 1600 square kilometers, Dhaka is home to a population of about 16 million. It is predicted to become a majority-urban nation by 2030. Over time, this city has grown with huge population amidst continuous lack of planned infrastructures for healthy life. There are many other environmental and socio-economic issues that require immediate attention.

The “Rio Earth Summit” (1992) first emphasized the importance of achieving sustainability at a local level for greater global benefits. Since then, a good number of neighborhood sustainability assessment (NSA) tools have been developed worldwide. Because of different culture, climate and urban fabric, the neighborhood pattern varies widely across the globe. So, ideally the indicators of neighborhood sustainability should be context-specific. This research begins with an attempt to analyze some of the widely used NSA tools like LEED-ND, BREEAM communities, Green Mark District etc. to compare and find out their sustainability indicators’ coverage and limitations.

In the next step, a comprehensive study of Dhaka’s long historical background, planning initiatives and most crucial sustainability issues was conducted to identify the loopholes of conventional planning approach. Based on all these studies, this research proposes an appropriate set of indicators for neighborhood sustainability assessment, which are designed for Dhaka city’s context. The proposed NSA scheme has five broad categories: Urban Metabolism, (Energy efficiency, Water and Waste management) Transportation Planning, Environmental planning, Neighborhood Design and the last one is Community and Context.

Most initiatives by RAJUK, the principle planning authority in Dhaka, concentrate on mitigating the housing demand for the booming population without much focus on adequate infrastructural development and quality of urban environment. The proposed scheme intends to address this loop-hole by suggesting a wide range of indicators from various aspects of urban sustainability. The scheme will act like a detailed guideline and set standards for the existing or new neighborhoods. Later in this study, the proposed NSA scheme is experimented on a planned residential neighborhood. (Sector-13, Uttara, Dhaka) Scores have been given by comparing with the benchmarks for each sustainability indicator. Finally, the research suggests some recommendations which can be beneficial for achieving neighborhood sustainability in Dhaka.