A city for the twenty-first century

Tokyo	Tokyo
Honolulu

We are too proud too admit that Dhaka is an isolated city, and except for some selective commercial transactions, Dhaka offers little in the way of a global, tourist and economic network. Bangladesh's potential for utilising its human resources in the new era of globalisation remains largely untapped, and yet there are new ways by which Dhaka (and other towns) can be positioned towards a unique development programme. For example, readymade garments, textiles, light manufacturing, and computer outsourcing can make us part of a production line of industries elsewhere in a far more energetic and productive way. Dhaka could offer itself as the centre for sourcing such products, especially in the IT area. Special districts or model townships in the city could be set up (and Bill Gates may be amenable to support that) that are designated for that purpose complete with work places, IT training centres, residences, recreational facilities, etc. Not a Silicon Valley perhaps, but a Digital District.

 

 

 

What Dhaka is	What Dhaka Can Be
A city needs a plan	Disperse Dhaka, contain Dhaka
Dhaka is almost an island	Housing is the fabric of the city
Catalytic architecture for urban transformation	A modern city thrives on efficient mobility
A city for the twenty-first century	The street should be designed for the pedestrian
Open spaces are needed for existential reasons	Overhaul urban institutions
Urban districts, heritage places and urban assets	Sadarghat river front development