Reshaping Dhaka: Bold Plans for Purbachal and Old Dhaka's Urban Future

Dhaka is at a crossroads when it comes to urban planning, with sweeping proposals that could transform both its newest satellite towns and its most historically dense neighborhoods. These developments will directly affect where and how hundreds of thousands of residents live.

🏙️ Purbachal New Town to Be Folded Into Dhaka District

The government has announced plans to bring Purbachal New Town under the administrative jurisdiction of Dhaka district, a move with significant governance and planning implications. Purbachal has been developed as a planned satellite city intended to relieve pressure on Dhaka's overcrowded urban core. Incorporating it formally into Dhaka district would streamline administrative oversight and potentially accelerate the delivery of public services to the area. The decision is expected to have a meaningful impact on how the broader Dhaka metropolitan region is managed going forward. [8]

🏗️ Rajuk's Ambitious Plan to Modernize Old Dhaka with 60% Open Space

Bangladesh's urban planning authority Rajuk has unveiled an ambitious redevelopment plan for Old Dhaka that envisions modern housing alongside a striking requirement that 60 percent of the area be preserved as open space. The proposal is designed to address decades of overcrowding, deteriorating infrastructure, and a lack of green areas in one of Dhaka's most densely populated and historically significant neighborhoods. However, experts and residents have raised questions about whether such a sweeping transformation is realistically achievable given the complexity of land ownership and the scale of displacement it could involve. The plan represents one of the most ambitious urban renewal proposals the city has seen in recent memory. [9]

Sources: [8] The Daily Star · [9] The Business Standard