High time for a proper city plan: state minister

Dhaka -- the most densely populated city in the world -- is still growing in an unplanned way, said State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Dr Md Enamur Rahman at an event in Dhaka yesterday.

“It is high time we introduce a proper plan to make the city healthy, inclusive and liveable for our future generations,” said the state minister.

“All stakeholders, including architects, should come forward to resolve the city’s crisis,” he added.

He was speaking at the inauguration session of the three-day Urban Thinkers Campus 2019 held at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet).

Buet’s Department of Architecture is hosting the event as an associate partner of World Urban Campaign of UN Habitat.

Citing the huge number of migration into the city, Dr Enam said Dhaka is highly vulnerable to disasters such as earthquakes due to its high density.

Dr Saiful Islam, VC of Buet, also spoke at the event.

A three-day exhibition has been organised at the architecture department where various development projects, models, and documentaries will be presented under Buet’s Urban Lab.

Twenty partner organisations -- government, non-government and international sectors -- are participating in the event. Participants include Dhaka North and South City Corporation, Department of Architecture of Ministry of Housing and Public Works, LGED, Rajuk, World Bank, Bangladesh Housing Forum, Prothom Alo, Work for Better Bangladesh, Jahangirnagar University and Khulna University.