Dhaka, other megacities in South Asia facing rapid urbanisation challenges

Dhaka and some other megacities in South Asia including Delhi, Lahore, and Kolkata are now facing rapid urbanisation challenges like narrowing open spaces and low-income people's limited access to urban facilities, prompting experts to call for effective urban planning.

They also stressed on development of sustainable infrastructure, improvement of public transportation systems, and enhanced waste management and sanitation systems to improve liveability of the megacities.

They made the observation at an international workshop titled 'South Asian Megacities in Transition: Examining the Changing Built Environment' at a programme in the city on Saturday.

The Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) with the voluntary research organisation Knowledgist Without Borders organised the programme at the BIP on the occasion of its 50th anniversary celebration.

Local and regional academics, engineers, urban planners, architects, environmentalists, researchers, and policymakers joined the event in-person as well as virtually.

They said the liveability of the cities could be enhanced by ensuring involvement of mass people and keeping the local communities, environment, architecture, culture and tradition into consideration while making urban planning instead of following western urban planning.

BIP President Dr. Adil Mohammed Khan, its General Secretary Shaikh Muhammad Mehedi Ahsan and Khulna University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Md Rezaul Karim were present among others.

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