In Search of Liveable Homes in a Changing Dhaka 

I have seen the changes in Dhaka’s urban life very closely. I lived in Old Dhaka during the 1980s and 1990s. Later, because of unplanned urbanisation, I moved to Dhanmondi, closer to my workplace.

But the changes I have seen in Dhanmondi over the past two decades have made me realise that having a flat alone does not ensure good housing. People also need enough space around their homes to live a normal life.

I have many memories of Old Dhaka. But over time, unplanned urbanisation continued to grow there. Pressure gradually increased on living spaces, roads, buildings and other civic facilities.

At one point, I left Old Dhaka and moved to Dhanmondi, close to my workplace. At that time, Dhanmondi had a much more residential environment and was an attractive place to live.

There were relatively more open spaces, trees and a better road environment. At that time, I felt that Dhanmondi was a good place for a family to live.

But Dhanmondi has also changed greatly over the past 20 years. Commercial activities have gradually grown inside the residential area. Offices, hospitals, educational institutions, restaurants, shops and other businesses have increased.

As a result, Dhanmondi is no longer only a residential area. It has also become an important commercial and service centre.
We can see the impact of this change every day. Pressure on an area does not come only from the number of people living there. The number of people coming into the area every day is also important.

As commercial activities increase, pressure also grows on people’s movement, vehicles, parking, waste management and other civic services.

From my experience, I believe housing should not mean only a flat. The space outside a flat is also part of housing because people need enough room to live normally.

There must be roads and walking spaces. Children need places to play. People need trees and open spaces. At the same time, there must be adequate water, electricity, drainage, waste management and emergency services.

It is certainly important to calculate how many people live in an area. But it is even more important to understand how much pressure the infrastructure of that area can handle.

If the population of an area continues to grow but roads, water supply, drainage, parking and other civic facilities do not increase accordingly, the quality of life will decline.

When I moved from Old Dhaka to Dhanmondi, I thought I would be able to live comfortably for a long time in a more planned residential area.

But the changes in Dhanmondi over time have made me think again. Are we only building more buildings, or are we really creating a complete environment for people to live in?

I believe this question should receive greater attention in Dhaka’s housing planning.

Along with deciding how many flats can be built, planners should consider how many people will live there, how many people will travel to the area every day and whether the infrastructure can handle that pressure.

High-rise buildings can provide housing for more people on limited land. But if there are not enough roads, open spaces, parks, water, drainage, public transport and other civic facilities, such development may create new problems instead of making people’s lives easier.

I now live in West Dhanmondi. From here, I continue to see Dhaka changing every day.

My long experience has taught me one thing: simply increasing the number of flats will not solve the housing problem. People need enough space and a planned environment to live properly. When we think about the future of Dhaka, we should not think only about how tall buildings will be or how many flats can be built.

We must also think about how people will live there.

A good home is not just a flat. It is a proper balance between people, buildings, roads, open spaces and civic facilities.