South Asian countries should focus on the growth of small and medium-sized cities, as urban-led economic growth has not resulted in improvements in social and human development outcomes, according to a think-tank report released Monday.
The 17th annual report of Lahore-based Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Centre under the title 'Human Development in South Asia 2014, Urbanisation: Challenges and Opportunities' mentioned that despite housing half of the total urban population, small cities in comparison to mega cities are less developed in terms of access to public services and have inadequate infrastructure and services.
"Small and medium-sized cities have the potential to act as centres for economic growth," it said.
BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) of BRAC University unveiled the report at BRAC Centre INN in the capital Monday. BIGD Executive Director Dr. Sultan Hafeez Rahman moderated the programme.
The report indicated that urbanisation in the South Asian region had been rapid, but unplanned.
"The urban population in small and medium cities has been declining. The increase in urbanisation is attributed to natural increase in urban population and rural-urban migration."
It also identified disparities within urban centres in terms of access to key infrastructure and services, including water, housing, sanitation, health, education and public transport. It also pointed towards decay of urban environment in South Asian mega-cities due to urbanisation. While giving introductory speech over the report, former finance minister M Syeduzzaman said South Asia is currently the least urbanised region of the world, with only one-third of the population living in cities, where three-fourth of South Asia's economic growth is being generated.
He said urban governance in the region must work on critical issues including effective decentralisation of power and resources, mobilizing revenue for financing urban infrastructures and municipal services.
Panel discussant Professor Ishrat Islam of BUET's Department of Urban and Regional Planning termed the ongoing urbanisation process as a plot-based development one, as both the private sector and the government largely focus on building plot to cope with the growing pressure of urbanisation.
"Detailed Area Plan (DAP) is also being violated, squeezing the area of water-bodies and open spaces. We need to come out of such practices to save Dhaka."
Talking about the slum-dwellers, she said the country has completely failed to ensure minimum living standard for the low-income communities although they are paying all kinds of utility charges.
Speaking as the chief guest, Executive Chairman of Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC) Hossain Zillur Rahman said the urbanization in Dhaka and other cities is unplanned, unhygienic and full of irregularities.
He said achievement of economic prosperity is visible, but human dignity is decreasing under such type of urbanisation, and the cities have just become money-making places.
"If the trend continues further, our country will move towards the destiny of a middle-income nation with lower quality that we never want."
He also opined that factors like centralised administrative power, autocracy and urban local government bodies, having representatives with criminal background, are responsible for the situation.
Speaking as the special guest, Professor ATM Nurul Amin of Department of Environmental Science and Management at North South University said natural population growth is the main reason behind the rapid and unplanned urbanisation here, not migration.
He was also critical over the government plan to build multi-storied apartment building in the capital for slum-dwellers, saying that it would drive many more from the rural areas to the overpopulated city.
He also emphasised increased investments from both the government and the private sector in urban environmental infrastructures to make the cities like Dhaka and Chittagong liveable.
"Bangladesh's economy largely stands on the contribution of our hardworking labourers in agriculture and apparel sectors as well as migrant workers. But it is very unfortunate that we cannot ensure their decent living. It's a complete policy failure of our government," he added.
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