Govt moves to draft strategic plan to reshape growth around capital

Highlights:

• Government plans coordinated development for Dhaka's surrounding districts amid rapid growth
• New strategic plan targets sustainable, integrated urbanisation beyond Dhaka city
• Transport-oriented development prioritised, linking housing and infrastructure to transit
• Plan aligns peripheral districts with MRT, BRT, subway networks
• Three-tier framework covers districts, upazilas, urban and rural areas
• Strategy aims to ease congestion, protect environment, boost long-term productivity

As Dhaka strains under rapid urban growth and mounting population pressure, the government has taken an initiative to prepare a new strategic plan for the districts surrounding the capital to ensure coordinated and sustainable development in the areas.

To this end, the Urban Development Directorate (UDD) has proposed a study project titled "Strategic Plan for the Peripheral Areas of Dhaka". 

Officials said the initiative aims to guide the future urbanisation of the wider Dhaka metropolitan region through integrated planning, rather than treating the capital in isolation.

According to the development directorate, Dhaka can no longer grow sustainably on its own. Without coordinated planning with surrounding districts, urban growth will become more chaotic in the coming years. 

The proposed plan is not just a study, officials said, but is intended to serve as a long-term roadmap for urban development across the Dhaka metropolitan region.

Infograph: TBS

Focus on transport-led development

UDD officials said the main objective of the project is to formulate a strategic plan to develop an integrated and sustainable transport network. Housing, commercial zones and other infrastructure would then be planned around this transport system to ensure orderly growth.

The project also aims to better integrate urban services and public spaces with transport infrastructure, creating a more liveable, inclusive and efficient urban environment.

Fauzia Sharmin Tithi, a planner at the Urban Development Directorate, said transport-oriented development (TOD) would be given the highest priority under the initiative.

"We are mainly prioritising transport-oriented development. The initiative focuses particularly on 12 upazilas located in Dhaka's peripheral areas," she said. "The goal is to integrate transport infrastructure with both urban and rural development."

"As part of this process, we will prepare a structure plan, a strategic plan, urban area plans and rural area plans. In addition, action area plans will be prepared to ensure implementation in specific locations," she added.

Fauzia said earlier planning efforts were mostly upazila- or district-based. "We are now moving away from that approach and preparing master plans for entire districts. While working on this, we realised that covering Dhaka's peripheral regions together would be far more effective for transport development," she said.

Many surrounding areas already have plans in place, she noted. "Now the most logical step is to integrate those plans and focus development around transport. Given the growing policy focus, research and debate on the transport sector, this is a timely initiative."

What's in the project plan?

The project proposal has recently been sent to the Planning Commission for approval. The estimated cost of the project is Tk39.43 crore, with implementation proposed from January 2026 to December 2028.

According to the project proposal, Dhaka is already the world's fourth most densely populated megacity. Rapid urbanisation and population growth have led to severe traffic congestion, environmental degradation and declining productivity.

The project aims to align development in surrounding districts – Gazipur, Narsingdi, Narayanganj and Munshiganj – with major transport projects such as the MRT, BRT and the proposed Dhaka subway network.

Officials said that more than 2,000 people are added to Dhaka's population every day on average. At the same time, population density, illegal occupation of land, the housing shortage, pressure on public transport, traffic congestion, air and water pollution, and drainage problems have all worsened sharply over the past decade. 

However, Dhaka-centric development strategies have failed to keep pace with this growth, they noted.

Since 2016, development in the capital has become more costly and environmentally risky. Experts warn that without coordinated development in Gazipur, Narayanganj, Narsingdi and Munshiganj, Dhaka will become an "over-centralised, inefficient and continuously overburdened city".

The Urban Development Directorate hopes that once the proposed project is implemented, it will ensure planned land use, help protect agricultural land and the environment, and strengthen the capacity to deal with the impacts of climate change and disaster risks.

Three-tier planning framework

UDD officials said planning under the project would be carried out at three levels.

At the sub-regional level, 20-year district-based spatial development strategies will be prepared, covering land use, transport networks, economic development, climate change adaptation and disaster risk management. These plans will provide guidance on regional connectivity, investment potential and sustainable land use.

At the upazila level, structural plans will be developed, identifying flood and waterlogging risks, protecting agricultural land and water bodies, and clearly marking rural settlements, urban areas and future expansion zones.

In addition, under specialised planning packages, an Urban Area Plan (UAP), growth centre plans, a highway corridor plan, a public space plan and an implementation-oriented action plan will be prepared to ensure the effective execution of the plans.

Why the strategy matters

According to the development directorate officials, Dhaka's population is expected to exceed three crore by 2035, a scale that existing infrastructure will not be able to support.

Dhaka accounts for nearly 40% of the country's GDP, but growing urban pressure is rapidly reducing its efficiency, creating obstacles to economic activity and lowering overall productivity.

The transport sector is also under strain, with congestion and pollution cutting productivity by an estimated 20-25% a year, resulting in economic losses and wasted time.

Unplanned urban development, particularly in surrounding districts, would further increase pressure on Dhaka, slow long-term economic growth and undermine lasting solutions. 

Because of this, at the state level this kind of strategic plan is being described as a "survival plan for the future capital", which the UDD believes will ensure sustainable and effective urbanisation of Dhaka.

According to the UDD, the study will propose improving highways around Dhaka to make transport in surrounding upazilas more efficient, with road classification to better connect economic hubs and growth centres.

Service roads for local and slow-moving vehicles will be included alongside highways, while regional connectivity, traffic diversion and congestion reduction measures will be prioritised. 

Plans will also cover multimodal freight facilities at rail junctions, restrictions on unplanned development along highways, improved rural-urban links, and parallel roads along national highways.

To avoid excessive population concentration, development will be ensured across all unions, with an emphasis on promoting compact townships, officials said.