Planned urbanisation
Thursday, 5 July 2007
Kabir Hossain
THE United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) released its State of the World Population 2007 report last Wednesday. It drew attention to the fact of a significant increase in the urban population of Bangladesh -- at only five or six per cent of the total population two decades ago -- to some 27 per cent now. The UNFPA report has focused on this phenomenal increase in the urban population of the country and projected this growth to be 3.5 per cent per year up to the year 2010. From a city of some two million people at the time of the independence of the country, Dhaka's population has swelled to some eleven million and projections are that four or five million more people could be added to its population by the year 2015 making it the fourth most populous city in the world. Other big cities like Chittagong and Khulna are going to also have increased population in this period, though probably not on such a big scale as Dhaka.
Decentralisation, local growth centres, etc., have been tried in the past and could be tested with a new enthusiasm also in the future. But it is doubtful that the same would put a strong enough brake on people coming and settling down in the urban areas. The urban areas have many appeals -- including the major one of regular income and higher income -- that the rural people find as very strong pull factors. Besides, with all the undesirable consequences of rapid urbanisation, this trend, on the whole, is also the mark of a transitional economy.
Primary produces of agriculture form the major part of an economy at its nascent stage. Urbanisation marks a major shift of economic activities from agriculture to industries and services sectors and their greater contribution to the gross national product (GDP). Once upon a time, today's developed countries of the world had the bigger part of their population in the villages who produced mainly agricultural goods. Now, nearly 90 per cent of their population, on average, have an urban existence and industries and services are their main occupation. But they have also become wealthier in the process and have much improved standard of living.
Thus, there is nothing to be apprehensive that the faster rate of urbanisation here is an abnormality. What should be of concern is prompt adoption and implementation of policies for planned urbanisation. Urbanisation need not be perceived as a fearful or unwelcome phenomenon to afflict Bangladesh if the same can be better regulated to maintain the quality of urban life and achieve simultaneously a major transformation of the economy from its present rural centric nature to a more industrial or diverse one away from traditional agriculture. Urbanisation can prove to be a positive lift-up process -- economically and socially for the rural folks -- who would come to cities provided plans are well made and implemented to receive and absorb the exodus of rural people. This is the real challenge facing urban planners in the country.
There are two master plans for Dhaka city, drawn up at two different periods, which were never adequately followed. Formulated as long ago as 1959 and 1995 respectively, these plans never acquired the shape of detailed functional plans with rules and regulations for mandatory adhering by all in the city. If real improvement in the situation is desired, then the first task would be preparing detailed plans to cover all areas of the city. The next step would be opertionalising of these detailed plans with everybody within their command areas required to submit to them thoroughly and scrupulously.
The first task of the Rajdhani Unnanyan Katripkha (RAJUK) should be making the detailed area plans available and then to embark on their implementation with urgency. It should be adequately empowered and made resourceful in every respect for attaining these objectives.
THE United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) released its State of the World Population 2007 report last Wednesday. It drew attention to the fact of a significant increase in the urban population of Bangladesh -- at only five or six per cent of the total population two decades ago -- to some 27 per cent now. The UNFPA report has focused on this phenomenal increase in the urban population of the country and projected this growth to be 3.5 per cent per year up to the year 2010. From a city of some two million people at the time of the independence of the country, Dhaka's population has swelled to some eleven million and projections are that four or five million more people could be added to its population by the year 2015 making it the fourth most populous city in the world. Other big cities like Chittagong and Khulna are going to also have increased population in this period, though probably not on such a big scale as Dhaka.
Decentralisation, local growth centres, etc., have been tried in the past and could be tested with a new enthusiasm also in the future. But it is doubtful that the same would put a strong enough brake on people coming and settling down in the urban areas. The urban areas have many appeals -- including the major one of regular income and higher income -- that the rural people find as very strong pull factors. Besides, with all the undesirable consequences of rapid urbanisation, this trend, on the whole, is also the mark of a transitional economy.
Primary produces of agriculture form the major part of an economy at its nascent stage. Urbanisation marks a major shift of economic activities from agriculture to industries and services sectors and their greater contribution to the gross national product (GDP). Once upon a time, today's developed countries of the world had the bigger part of their population in the villages who produced mainly agricultural goods. Now, nearly 90 per cent of their population, on average, have an urban existence and industries and services are their main occupation. But they have also become wealthier in the process and have much improved standard of living.
Thus, there is nothing to be apprehensive that the faster rate of urbanisation here is an abnormality. What should be of concern is prompt adoption and implementation of policies for planned urbanisation. Urbanisation need not be perceived as a fearful or unwelcome phenomenon to afflict Bangladesh if the same can be better regulated to maintain the quality of urban life and achieve simultaneously a major transformation of the economy from its present rural centric nature to a more industrial or diverse one away from traditional agriculture. Urbanisation can prove to be a positive lift-up process -- economically and socially for the rural folks -- who would come to cities provided plans are well made and implemented to receive and absorb the exodus of rural people. This is the real challenge facing urban planners in the country.
There are two master plans for Dhaka city, drawn up at two different periods, which were never adequately followed. Formulated as long ago as 1959 and 1995 respectively, these plans never acquired the shape of detailed functional plans with rules and regulations for mandatory adhering by all in the city. If real improvement in the situation is desired, then the first task would be preparing detailed plans to cover all areas of the city. The next step would be opertionalising of these detailed plans with everybody within their command areas required to submit to them thoroughly and scrupulously.
The first task of the Rajdhani Unnanyan Katripkha (RAJUK) should be making the detailed area plans available and then to embark on their implementation with urgency. It should be adequately empowered and made resourceful in every respect for attaining these objectives.