To build an inclusive and equitable Dhaka city now the time implementing the DAP
Dhaka ranks 166th out of 173 cities in the list of livable cities. According to the list published by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Dhaka’s livability is almost at the bottom. With the aim of building a livable Dhaka, the Detailed Area Plan (DAP) of Dhakawas approved on August 2023.
It addresses issues like reducing private car use through pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, creating green and blue networks, developing parks for residents, transforming roads into public spaces, and improving the housing sector. The implementation of DAP is now the need of the hour to build a sustainable, inclusive and equitable city.
Speakers discussed the “Dhaka Detailed Area Plan (DAP) Amendment Initiative: Dhaka’s Livability Under Threat” at an event organized by Bangladesh Institute of Planners, Institute for Planning and Development, Institute of Wellbeing Bangladesh, and Work for a Better Bangladesh Trust on Sunday, March 16, 2025, at 11:00 am. News release.
Gauss Peary, Director of the Work for a WBB Trust t, chaired the event, while Md Mithun, an officer of the Trust, moderated it. Adil Muhammad Khan, President of Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP), presented a paper. He stated that the width of roads in residential areas reflects their capacity for people, vehicles, and traffic management.
In addition, from the perspective of urban planning, the size and area of a building built on a plot does not depend only on the width of the road adjacent to the plot. Urban infrastructure planning involves roads, services, schools, hospitals, markets, open spaces, parks, gardens, and water bodies.
The planning strategy relies on the area’s maximum population capacity, using population density to figure out how many families or individuals each plot can hold. To begin revising the Detailed Area Plan (DAP) of Dhaka, it’s essential to take the necessary actions to improve the housing industry.
The event was addressed by the Headmaster of Dhaka Ideal Cadet School, MA Mannan Monir, Assistant Teacher of Rayer Bazar High School, Md Tahazzot Hossain, Assistant Headmaster of Bengali Medium High School, Md. Zakir Hossain, Headmaster of Imperial International School and College, Md. Saddam Hossain, Project Coordinator of Dhaka International University, Farhana Zaman Liza. Officials from the Institute for Planning and Development (IPD), Confidence Memorial High School, Institute of Wellbeing Bangladesh, Carfree Cities Alliance Bangladesh, and Work for a Better Bangladesh Trust were also present.
The speakers at the event said that everyone should come forward together to make Dhaka city livable. The decline of the housing industry is leading to physical and mental harm for city residents due to unplanned structures and encroachments on playgrounds, parks, rivers, and canals. If the progress of illegal housing projects is not stopped, this city will become completely unlivable in the future.
The regional plan recommends building 202 kilometers of priority cycle lanes, benefiting cyclists and promoting non-motorized vehicles in the city. In addition, most of the public buildings and public spaces in Dhaka city are not disability-friendly.
This issue should be taken into consideration when implementing DAP. Otherwise, it will not be possible to ensure an inclusive city. We need to create high-quality schools in every area, build new hospitals and improve current ones, and upgrade existing parks and playgrounds while also constructing new ones.
