RAJUK to prepare 20-yr dev plan for Dhaka city

Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) is set to prepare an updated Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan (DMDP) for next 20 years aimed at accommodating more people on comparatively lesser lands, officials said Friday.
"The vertical expansion of the buildings with more open space and green city will be the best option for the capital city," said a RAJUK official.
Officials said the city development authority has already appointed a Korean consultancy firm which is working to prepare the 20-year development plan for the Dhaka metropolis. It is reviewing the existing DMDP (1995-2015) for preparing the next one for 2015-2035 calendar years.
It is also carrying out a feasibility study to set up a satellite town adjacent to the Dhaka metropolis.
A RAJUK official said the updated DMDP is underlying the philosophies of special planning, current land utilisation scenario, and its future vision to accommodate more people on less land.
"The Korean company has already framed a draft DMDP for the next 20 years and submitted it to us," he added.
Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, has an estimated population of more than 14 million people, making it the largest city of the country and the 8th largest city in the world. It is one of the major cities of South Asia and also one of the world's most densely populated cities.
This enormous growth in population has had its impact on the city's housing and various service sectors as well as on its social and economic life, especially on its environment. Large parts of the city have developed as slums where poor migrants live in shanties in inhuman condition.
The unprecedented increase in population has made outmoded transports, housing and civic services totally inadequate and unsuitable.
According to the RAJUK official, in the current scenario of the Dhaka city less people live on the bigger amount of land.
"Some 113 people live per hectare of lands in the capital. But in many bigger cities in the world, more than 300 people live per hectare of lands. So, our future vision is to accommodate more people within a smaller amount of land," the official said.
According to the recommendation of the draft DMDP, the Dhaka city should have 300 people per hectare (pph) for saving the lands as well as ensuring a better living place.
Currently, the Cairo city has 300 pph, Delhi 290 pph, Tokyo 142 pph, Jakarta 127 pph and New York 105 pph.
The DMDP said it will require 16,057 hectares of land in the Dhaka city to accommodate 300 pph while 35,512 hectares of land to provide 245 pph considering the current population size of this metropolis.
Considering the population growth in the next 20 years, the total population of the Dhaka city will be 26 million in 2035 and some 86,700 hectares of land will be required.
According to the draft DMDP, the capital city's population growth will be 1.38 per cent in the calendar year 2035 from the existing 3.60 per cent rate.
Besides, the city will need to create 12.9 million jobs, set up 4,600 schools and ensure 6.1 million housing in next 20 years. RAJUK officials said the proposed DMDP will ensure the highest possible use of land in the metropolis through the vertical expansion of the buildings and keep enough open green space for the dwellers.
    kabirhumayan10@gmail.com