Developing an Open Space Standard in a Densely Populated City: A Case Study of Chittagong City

Abstract

In densely populated settings like Chittagong, Bangladesh cities facing rapid urbanization and economic growth are challenged to provide open space for its citizens. For example, the population of this port city is 14,200 people per square kilometer and there is a struggle to provide open space. Again, the planning proposal did not set any open space standard to achieve its open space aspirations Hence, the objectives of this paper are four-fold: (i) Develop an understanding of open space standards to establish relative benchmarks for potential use in Chittagong. (ii) Examine existing formal open space in Chittagong. (iii) Document the existing informal open space areas in Chittagong according to the planning direction. (iv) Recommend an approach that can be used to realize open spaces in Chittagong. To achieve these, this paper documents the existing open space scenario in the city, examines the recommended open space standards developed by organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Dhaka Structural Plan (2016–2035) (the planning document of the capital city of Bangladesh) to identify to what extent these ‘benchmark’ standards are appropriate for use in the city. A discussion on open space in Chittagong and the criteria used to ‘frame’ open space calculations in the city is then conducted to provide a foundation to reflect upon the world’s various open space recommendations. Ultimately, by analyzing existing open space recommendations and their associated well-being aspirations, the research suggests that a new standard relating to the unique characteristics of the city should be used when developing open space standards in Chittagong.

Green Infrastructure Development for a Sustainable Urban Environment in Chittagong city, Bangladesh

“…These issues must be addressed for municipalities to deliver quality and sustainable living environments (WHO, 2017). While cities around the world are struggling to keep a standard amount of open space, the WHO suggested a standard of nine square meters per capita; whereas the cumulative existing open space in Chittagong is only 0.18 square meters per person (Jafrin & Beza, 2018). Furthermore, Jafrin and Hossain (2019) designated that when the first regional plan in Chittagong was formulated, it proposed 26 new parks and other open spaces to meet the needs of the city's population.…”

An Overview of Ecotherapy-Based Activities in Urban Green Spaces Design

“…Each open space is assigned a functional classification to reflect its primary use (Jafrin & Beza, 2018). The three main functions of open space (Rutherford, 2012) are as recreation spaces, sport spaces, and nature spaces.…”

Appraisal of Heavy Metal Presence and Water Quality having Microbial Load and Associated Human Health Risk: A study on tube-well water in Nalitabari township of Sherpur district, Bangladesh

“…(Khan, 2014). Chattogram Development Authority recommends a standard of 0.12 acre/1,000 people for park and 0.08 acre/1,000 people for playground (Jafrin and Beza, 2018). Bogura town has 0.03 acres of playground for 1,000 people (Table 3).…”

“…But over last few decades, it has become a noisy and busting town with more than 400,983 inhabitants (Bogura Paurashava, 2010). As incorporated in Dhaka Structure Plan Standard 2016-2035 (Jafrin and Beza, 2018), there ought to be a 9 m 2 (WHO, 2012) or 3.5 m 2 green space per city tenant for guaranteeing better life. Therefore, the present study focuses on the actual scenario of the parks and playgrounds, their spatio-temporal changes and socio-environmental quality, and to find out the possible way to strengthen the existing management practices.…”