Satellite Cities Need More Than Housing

Residential projects and new towns are growing around Dhaka, but most have yet to become fully functional satellite cities. The main reason is that housing has developed faster than jobs and essential civic services.
According to Dominion Properties Limited Managing Director and Director of Real Estate & Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB) Md Labib Billah, people mainly come to Dhaka for their livelihoods. If new residential areas do not offer enough jobs, hospitals, medical services and other basic facilities, residents will continue to depend on Dhaka.
A successful satellite city, therefore, needs much more than apartments and plots. It needs schools, hospitals, markets, security services, employment opportunities and other facilities for everyday life. Without these services, people will still have to travel to Dhaka for work, education, healthcare and shopping.
Billah also stressed the need for better roads and reliable public transport. Police stations, markets and educational institutions should also be developed alongside residential areas. His comments highlight an important point: building houses alone cannot solve Dhaka’s housing and population problems. New towns must provide people with the opportunity to live and work in the same community.
If employment and civic services are developed together with housing, satellite cities can help reduce pressure on Dhaka and create better living conditions. Otherwise, these new towns will remain satellite cities only in name, while continuing to function as residential extensions dependent on the capital.
The future of satellite cities should therefore be based on a simple principle: build complete communities, not just residential projects.