Rizwana urges modern planning for a livable Dhaka

Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Water Resources Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan on Sunday called for a fundamental shift in the development approach of Dhaka to make the capital more liveable.

“Excessive concrete-based development has made the city unsafe and unmanageable. We discuss problems year after year but hesitate to solve them. Addressing them requires bold thinking. "We need to think creatively, as the conventional approach has evidently failed us," she stated.

The adviser said this during the 4th seminar of the “Project for Development of Policy and Guidelines for Transit-Orientated Development along Mass Transit Corridors,” which was organised by Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) with help from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre.

Highlighting resistance to meaningful reforms, Rizwana Hasan called for restructuring institutional setups to ensure empowered agencies, better coordination, and effective decision-making.

Pointing out Dhaka’s fragile transport system, she said public transportation is disorganised and environmentally harmful.

“Every day, buses emitting black smoke are on the roads. We cannot make Dhaka livable without replacing these vehicles and redesigning our transportation operations. A smart public transport system is not a luxury, it is a necessity,” she added.

She stressed that transit-orientated development (TOD) could play a key role in smart transport strategies but must not compromise environmental integrity. "We must not sacrifice open spaces and ecological buffers for metro stations or commercial structures." People in Dhaka desperately need breathing spaces,” she said.

Reflecting on recurring urban disasters and slow progress in relocating chemical warehouses from Old Dhaka, she noted that entrenched interest groups often block reforms.

She also urged community participation in greening initiatives, saying, “The entire city looks dusty. Engaging communities and providing them with technical support from the government will empower them to guard the newly created greenery.

Rizwana Hasan expressed optimism about the TOD initiative's focus on public spaces, parks, and greener neighbourhoods while cautioning against unnecessary commercial development. “Dhaka already has enough markets. What it lacks is open, safe, accessible space,” she said.

The seminar was chaired by RAJUK Chairman Engineer Md Riazul Islam. Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works Special guests included Md Nazrul Islam, Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works; Faruque Ahmed, Managing Director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited; and Mr Ichiguchi Tomohide, Chief Representative of JICA Bangladesh.