UNB, Dhaka :
Experts here on Wednesday stressed the need for establishing pro-poor governance in urban centres, aiming to
address the growing urban challenges in the country. “At present, about 28 percent people of the country live in towns and it will climbs to 50 percent by 2046. Apart from migrating people to towns from rural areas, villages even will be urbanised in the future,” eminent urban planner Prof Dr Nazrul Islam told the inaugural session of a dialogue in the capital.
Urban INGO Forum, Centre for Urban Resilience and the Department of Disaster Science and Management of Dhaka University jointly arranged the 4th Urban Dialogue, 2016 at the Senate Bhaban of the university.
The main objective of the dialogue is advocating at policy level so that urban
issues are addressed and the evidence-based solutions are used in formulating development policies for sustainable urban services.
Chaired by DU Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof Nasreen Ahmad, the inaugural session of the dialogue was addressed, among others, by Housing and Public Works Minister Engr Mosharraf Hossain, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) mayor Annisul Huq, national director of Habitat for Humanity Bangladesh John Armstrong, national director of World Vision Bangladesh Fred Witteveen and dean of DU’s Earth and Environmental Sciences Faculty Dr ASM Maksud Kamal.
Delivering his keynote paper, Prof Dr Nazrul Islam, also chairman of Centre for Urban Studies (CUS), said about 20 percent dwellers in the capital are poor and of them, about eight percent are extreme poor.
The urban planner alleged that Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) did not take any plan to accommodate the poor in 1530-square kilometre Dhaka city and that’s why they take shelters in informal settlements like slums. Housing and Public Works Minister Engr Mosharraf Hossain said the National Housing Authority (NHA) has already handed over around 10,000 apartments to middle-income people and it has a plan to build 20,000 more apartments to accommodate them.
About unchecked migration, he said facilities have to be increased in villages to stop rural migration to urban centres and cities.
In Bangladesh, about 28 percent of the population lives in urban areas, out of which 38 percent live in slums and it is projected that half of the country’s population will live in the urban areas by 2030.
Experts here on Wednesday stressed the need for establishing pro-poor governance in urban centres, aiming to
address the growing urban challenges in the country. “At present, about 28 percent people of the country live in towns and it will climbs to 50 percent by 2046. Apart from migrating people to towns from rural areas, villages even will be urbanised in the future,” eminent urban planner Prof Dr Nazrul Islam told the inaugural session of a dialogue in the capital.
Urban INGO Forum, Centre for Urban Resilience and the Department of Disaster Science and Management of Dhaka University jointly arranged the 4th Urban Dialogue, 2016 at the Senate Bhaban of the university.
The main objective of the dialogue is advocating at policy level so that urban
issues are addressed and the evidence-based solutions are used in formulating development policies for sustainable urban services.
Chaired by DU Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof Nasreen Ahmad, the inaugural session of the dialogue was addressed, among others, by Housing and Public Works Minister Engr Mosharraf Hossain, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) mayor Annisul Huq, national director of Habitat for Humanity Bangladesh John Armstrong, national director of World Vision Bangladesh Fred Witteveen and dean of DU’s Earth and Environmental Sciences Faculty Dr ASM Maksud Kamal.
Delivering his keynote paper, Prof Dr Nazrul Islam, also chairman of Centre for Urban Studies (CUS), said about 20 percent dwellers in the capital are poor and of them, about eight percent are extreme poor.
The urban planner alleged that Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) did not take any plan to accommodate the poor in 1530-square kilometre Dhaka city and that’s why they take shelters in informal settlements like slums. Housing and Public Works Minister Engr Mosharraf Hossain said the National Housing Authority (NHA) has already handed over around 10,000 apartments to middle-income people and it has a plan to build 20,000 more apartments to accommodate them.
About unchecked migration, he said facilities have to be increased in villages to stop rural migration to urban centres and cities.
In Bangladesh, about 28 percent of the population lives in urban areas, out of which 38 percent live in slums and it is projected that half of the country’s population will live in the urban areas by 2030.
