Dhaka, being the heart of Bangladesh, has been burdened by population density over the years. Dhaka holds all the centres of Bangladesh, including administration, education, economy, healthcare, and many more. Along with population density, Dhaka has also been facing traffic jams, housing problems, and the most serious one – environmental pollution. So the first question that arises here is, can Dhaka be decentralised? Can Dhaka be free of all this chaos? Or can we build a new urban economy outside of Dhaka? To be honest, the answer is absolutely positive. Yes, we can decentralise Dhaka and free our capital from the burden of the abovementioned pressures. It is extremely necessary for the development of our country.
A few prominent urban experts of our country have agreed that if decentralisation doesn’t happen sooner, our country will face economic loss in the long run. They claimed that productivity is decreasing at a high pace because of over-centralising Dhaka over the years. Not only productivity but also time is being wasted everyday which is making the citizens suffer since a long time. Along with these, urban life’s quality is also decreasing.
One cannot define a smart city by the number of tall buildings or flyovers. To be counted as a smart city, the citizens need to have an easy lifestyle; they should feel that they are living in a safe and environmentally friendly environment. In this case, planning is the most important thing. It should be the first priority. In order to build a new urban economy, we need to focus on a lot of things. We cannot just depend on housing. We also need to work on establishing schools, colleges, hospitals, community centres, shopping malls, corporate office spaces, playgrounds, and various entertainment areas there. This will serve the purposes of the people who come to Dhaka. If they get all these available outside Dhaka, then why would anyone want to live in a costly city like Dhaka? They will not rush towards Dhaka. Dhaka will have some release of pressure.
Secondly, we need to work on improving transport facilities along with elevated infrastructure. Last mile connectivity is one of the biggest problems of Dhaka, and it can be solved by moving it to a new city that will have new roads, buses to ensure rapid transit, walkable streets, and proper traffic management with skilled and properly trained traffic police. If we can manage all these altogether, then we will be able to attract investors rapidly. Our honourable Prime Minister, Tarique Rahman, has already taken initiatives and revealed his concept of establishing satellite cities outside the heart of Bangladesh. This shows the importance of the satellite city model. He has planned for a satellite city model to release pressure from Dhaka. As per his statement, to remove extra pressure from Dhaka, employment, education, and urban facilities must be decentralised and facilities will have to be taken to the people outside Dhaka, and that will not force them to come to Dhaka. Following this concept, Chattogram, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet, along with the nearby places of Dhaka like Gazipur, Naryanganj, or even Mymensingh, can be considered a new economic cluster. Urbanisation can be done based on themes. For example, industrial zones, IT parks, education cities, medical cities, etc., will help make a multidimensional economy.
Thirdly, we need to focus on green projects. A smart city needs to be environmentally friendly; otherwise, it would not last long. The new cities of Bangladesh will have green infrastructure, and it is a must. This will include a waste recycling system along with smart drainage, an urban forest, a solar system on the rooftops, rainwater harvesting, water bodies, electric public transport, and green areas as well as green belts. Besides creating a new green economy, these will protect the environment as well. Through this, the government will be able to create new employment for various sectors such as renewable energy, waste management, urban farming, and climate-resilient construction. We need to consider green projects as a part of the urban economy.
One cannot create a smart city by a political announcement only. Its governance and decentralisation are the biggest challenges. We need to empower the local government first. Otherwise, the new city would not be much effective. If the local people get quality education, treatment, or job, a huge number of people will stay in their own areas and would not make Dhaka more crowded.
Bangladesh’s future economic stability lies in building alternative cities and maintaining all the materials of a smart city. A smart city will have a combination of green projects, technology, proper planning, and quality of life. If a correct plan, strong local administration, green infrastructure, and decentralised employment models can be implemented, then building a new economic urban civilisation outside Dhaka is definitely possible.
- Sakif Shamim is the Managing Director at Labaid Cancer Hospital and Super Specialty Centre and Deputy Managing Director at Labaid Group
