Bangladesh has undergone unplanned and unbalanced urban development over the past few decades, thus prompting experts to warn of economic impact if measures are not taken in this regard. To retain growth, developing balanced urbanisation is a must in the country’s northern part, as many people will migrate due to climate change in future. Improvement of road connectivity with the underdeveloped northern districts to bring trade diversification is also significant.
We know Dhaka is generating one-fifth of the GDP right now and almost half of the formal employment of the country. That is why the focus should be on organising secondary cities. We are trying to look at the roles of secondary medium-sized cities in sustaining structural transformation and increasing productivity. So, the question arises whether we foster secondary urban development rather than obsessively focusing on Dhaka and Chattogram. Successful urbanisation is crucial for economic growth and it is important for Bangladesh that urban areas become more productive, supporting more innovation and growth.
Currently, urbanisation rate is around 40 per cent, which will rise to 60 per cent in 2050, meaning 50 million people will be added to the urban population. People are going to move away to higher grounds with the rising sea level. But the strategies on climate mitigation and adaptation will also need to be taken into account alongside the expansion of urbanisation to create a balance. The government should develop secondary urban cities, and focus on peri-urban areas for future habitation.
A Detailed plan and adoption is needed to adopt the climate migrants in the nearby cities, like Bogura, Khulna, Barishal where people from the disaster prone Satkhira, Bhola and Kurigram can take shelter. Livelihood opportunities along with healthcare and education facilities are required to be developed in the secondary cities sensing the cities implications. Decentralisation of Dhaka and Chattogram, and overall development of other cities should get priority in the government policy in the upcoming years.
