Rajuk must cautiously tread Dhaka mixed-use zoning path

EDITORIAL

RAJDHANI Unnayan Kartripakkha, the town planning authorities for the capital Dhaka, has turned, as New Age reported on Saturday, to mixed-use zoning to allow residential, commercial and institutional buildings in the same area. Unlike the detailed area plan for 1995–2015, which, in fact, had come into force in 2010 because of a delayed beginning, the latest plan with a focus on the development of the capital from 2016 to 2035, which is pending an official notification scheduled for January, will allow some areas to have high residential and low commercial use and some other areas to have low residential and high commercial use. 

The commercial district of Motijheel remains deserted beyond office hours and on holidays and becomes insecure as the zone mostly has offices. People living in residential areas such as Banani often need to travel some distance to meet their commercial needs. Mixed-use zoning of city areas increases density, promotes active transport, encourages economic development and creates lively and diverse neighbourhoods. In view of all this, urban planners are reported to have welcomed the idea in that the mixed-use zoning could, in addition, reduce traffic congestion and put in place a better community interaction.

But all this depends on a successful implementation of the development strategy. Mixed-use zoning needs to be implemented based on the population density and the availability of utility services in each of the areas. A mismatch could entail a disaster in a city already burdened with poor utility services and perennial traffic congestion. If Rajuk fails to properly assess the area-wise requirement under political pressure or because of financial clout, the strategy could well only add to public sufferings. Past Rajuk failures in implementing the previous detailed area plan, coupled with Rajuk’s weakness in sorting out the troubling issues and a propensity to legalise, because of political and financial clout of some individuals and entities, constructions after they are illegally erected in areas not meant for development, leave a scope for the city to hurtle to a disaster. Rajuk is not best known for its management of the development of the capital city. In a situation like this, it is of utmost importance to attend to such issues of mismanagement and irregularities for the mixed-use zoning to come to be of any good. Rajuk plans not to apply the strategy to residential areas such as Dhanmondi, Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara and Uttara and to use it in the approval of constructions in Old Town, Badda, Jigatala and some other city areas.

In the adoption of mixed-use zoning in the capital, the authorities concerned would additionally need to weigh a few more issues such as the effect of the strategy on housing affordability.

Housing in mixed-use zones are reported to have been less affordable than housing in the rest of the city in some developed countries. The government, under the circumstances, must be stringent in its assessment of areas where it would be taking up mixed-use zoning strategy for development and must not make an excuse of a good idea to produce bad results.

• Courtesy: New Age /Nov 11, 2018