Cities in Crisis: Exploring Discontents and Challenges of Unplanned Urban Growth in Bangladesh
Keywords:
Urbanisation; Slum sector; Social systems; Dhaka; Chittagong; Bangladesh
Abstract
Urbanization has accelerated rapidly over the past few decades in all divisional cities of Bangladesh. This paper closely examines the nature and extent of urbanization in Bangladesh, particularly in Dhaka and Chittagong the two mega cities of the country. It provides a historical analysis of migration patterns, changes in population structure, and the pressure on infrastructure, health facilities, education, electricity supply, safe drinking water in urban centres, with a special focus on the expanding slum sector. Qualitative data analysis on the scale of migration is used to model the stakes in social systems and urban architecture. A primary analysis of infrastructure deficits in transportation, housing, and public services assesses the system’s limited capacity to meet current urban demands. To gauge the depth of urban discontent, sanitation, lighting, and access to food, water, and clothing in slum areas are also examined. Inspired by Ananya Roy’s work, the study uses subaltern urbanism to highlight informal settlements not as urban failures rather as an alternative urban development through innovation, resistance and alternative forms of urban modernity. Finally, policy debates and urban planning prescriptions are presented to address these challenges, aiming to enhance Bangladesh's future urban development by reducing vulnerability and promoting inclusive growth. This paper contributes to the literature on sustainable urban development in rapidly developing regions.
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References
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Bayu, T., Kim, H., & Oki, T. (2020). Water governance contribution to water and sanitation access equality in developing countries. Water Resources Research, 56(4), e2019WR025330. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019WR025330
Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. (2011). Population & housing census 2011: Preliminary report. https://bbs.portal.gov.bd
Bibri, S. E., Krogstie, J., & Kärrholm, M. (2020). Compact city planning and development: Emerging practices and strategies for achieving the goals of sustainability. Developments in the Built Environment, 4, 100021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dibe.2020.100021
Cattaneo, A., Adukia, A., Brown, D. L., Christiaensen, L., Evans, D. K., Haakenstad, A., ... & Weiss, D. J. (2022). Economic and social development along the urban–rural continuum: New opportunities to inform policy. World Development, 157, 105941. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2022.105941
Datola, G. (2023). Implementing urban resilience in urban planning: A comprehensive framework for urban resilience evaluation. Sustainable Cities and Society, 98, 104821. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2023.104821
Des Roches, S., Brans, K. I., Lambert, M. R., Rivkin, L. R., Savage, A. M., Schell, C. J., ... & Alberti, M. (2021). Socio‐eco‐evolutionary dynamics in cities. Evolutionary Applications, 14(1), 248–267. https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.13065
Dhanaraj, R. K., Ramakrishnan, V., Poongodi, M., Krishnasamy, L., Hamdi, M., Kotecha, K., & Vijayakumar, V. (2021). Random forest bagging and x‐means clustered antipattern detection from SQL query log for accessing secure mobile data. Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing, 2021(1), 2730246. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/2730246
Gong, Y., Zhang, R., Yao, K., Liu, B., & Wang, F. (2020). A livelihood resilience measurement framework for dam-induced displacement and resettlement. Water, 12(11), 3191. https://doi.org/10.3390/w12113191
Huang, L., Zheng, W., Hong, J., Liu, Y., & Liu, G. (2020). Paths and strategies for sustainable urban renewal at the neighbourhood level: A framework for decision-making. Sustainable Cities and Society, 55, 102074. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2020.102074
Islam, N. (2019). Urbanization in Bangladesh and urban research by geographers. In Geography in Bangladesh: Concepts, Methods and Applications (Vol. 2). https://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=4p2RDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT26
Jaren, L. S., Leya, R. S., & Mondal, M. S. (2022). Investigation of gender-differentiated impacts of water poverty on different livelihood groups in peri-urban areas around Dhaka, Bangladesh. Water, 14(7), 1167. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14071167
Karmaker, A. K., Islam, S. R., Kamruzzaman, M., Rashid, M. M. U., Faruque, M. O., & Hossain, M. A. (2023). Smart city transformation: An analysis of Dhaka and its challenges and opportunities. Smart Cities, 6(2), 1087–1108. https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities6020052
Khan, S. K., Shiwakoti, N., Stasinopoulos, P., Chen, Y., & Warren, M. (2024). Exploratory factor analysis for cybersecurity regulation and consumer data in autonomous vehicle acceptance: Insights from four OECD countries. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 25, 101084. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2024.101084
Kumar, H., Singh, M. K., Gupta, M. P., & Madaan, J. (2020). Moving towards smart cities: Solutions that lead to the Smart City Transformation Framework. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 153, 119281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2018.04.024
Leatherbee, M., & Katila, R. (2020). The lean startup method: Early‐stage teams and hypothesis‐based probing of business ideas. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 14(4), 570–593. https://doi.org/10.1002/sej.1373
Lihua, W. U., Tianshu, M. A., Yuanchao, B. I. A. N., Sijia, L. I., & Zhaoqiang, Y. I. (2020). Improvement of regional environmental quality: Government environmental governance and public participation. Science of the Total Environment, 717, 137265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137265
Manisalidis, I., Stavropoulou, E., Stavropoulos, A., & Bezirtzoglou, E. (2020). Environmental and health impacts of air pollution: A review. Frontiers in Public Health, 8, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00014
Marvuglia, A., Havinga, L., Heidrich, O., Fonseca, J., Gaitani, N., & Reckien, D. (2020). Advances and challenges in assessing urban sustainability: An advanced bibliometric review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 124, 109788. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.progress.2019.03.001
Ottaviani Aalmo, G., Spinelli, R., Magagnotti, N., & Visser, R. (2023). Quantitative and qualitative workload assessment in steep terrain forest operations: Fostering a safer work environment through yarder automation. Ergonomics, 66(6), 717–729. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2022.2123562
Raza, M. Y., Hasan, M. M., & Chen, Y. (2023). Role of economic growth, urbanization and energy consumption on climate change in Bangladesh. Energy Strategy Reviews, 47, 101088. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esr.2023.101088
Roy, A. (2011). Slumdog cities: Rethinking subaltern urbanism. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 35(2), 223–238. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2427.2011.01051.x
Singh, S., Tanvir Hassan, S. M., Hassan, M., & Bharti, N. (2020). Urbanisation and water insecurity in the Hindu Kush Himalaya: Insights from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan. Water Policy, 22(S1), 9–32. https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2019.215
Statista Research Department. (2024). Share of the urban population in Bangladesh from 2014 to 2023. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/761021/share-of-urban-population-bangladesh/
Therrien, M. C., Usher, S., & Matyas, D. (2020). Enabling strategies and impeding factors to urban resilience implementation: A scoping review. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 28(1), 83–102. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5973.12283
Törnberg, A. (2021). Prefigurative politics and social change: A typology drawing on transition studies. Distinktion: Journal of Social Theory, 22(1), 83–107. https://doi.org/10.1080/1600910X.2020.1856161
Vela-Jiménez, R., Sianes, A., López-Montero, R., & Delgado-Baena, A. (2022). The incorporation of the 2030 Agenda in the design of local policies for social transformation in disadvantaged urban areas. Land, 11(2), 197. https://doi.org/10.3390/land11020197
Wallerstein, N., Oetzel, J. G., Sanchez-Youngman, S., Boursaw, B., Dickson, E., Kastelic, S., ... & Duran, B. (2020). Engage for equity: A long-term study of community-based participatory research and community-engaged research practices and outcomes. Health Education & Behavior, 47(3), 380–390. https://doi.org/10.1177/1090198119897075
Published
2025-09-19
How to Cite
Buddha Dev Biswas, & Shaira Matin. (2025). Cities in Crisis: Exploring Discontents and Challenges of Unplanned Urban Growth in Bangladesh. Britain International of Humanities and Social Sciences (BIoHS) Journal, 7(3), 175-186. https://doi.org/10.33258/biohs.v7i2.1328
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