Urban Housing as an Issue of Redistribution through Planning? The Case of Dhaka City

Abstract

The rapid growth of population, the mushrooming of poor settlements and unplanned urbanization have crucial implications for the efficiency and equity of urban services. The resultant infringements of critical human rights throw into focus the importance of housing as a social policy issue. Urban services are strained in Dhaka city. Urban management has been disrupted as a result of spatial encroachment and environmental degradation. In addition to land scarcity, land speculation and endemic corruption, the high price of land is also a product of the system of land registration. The dearth of valuable urban land, together with delays in urban planning and its implementation, have made the acquisition of land for housing prohibitively expensive for middle and lowincome households. Consequently, the quality of the housing environment is deteriorating. The problem of housing finance is intrinsically linked to its affordability, being currently the prerogative only of the affluent. This article delineates the inherent lack of integrated urban planning, the lacunae within institutions responsible for urban management -and, contextually, the nature of housing as a social policy issue, where reinforced, coordinated planning and administration could ensure distributive benefits even to the poor.

Urban Poor's Accessibility to Decent Shelter in Dhaka City

“…It results to the poor resorts to dwell in hutments or other forms of temporary shelters which are structurally vulnerable, inadequately equipped, have minimum service provision and create unhygienic environment. There have been a number of government housing projects attempting to alleviate the problem but that failed to attain its goal due to the deficiencies in planning, lack of coordination by different actors, absence of private sector participation and political influences (Begum, 2007). The problem still persists because of the national formulated:…”

Review of Housing Delivery for the Urban Poor and the Rationalization of Tenement Apartments in Dhaka City

“…The unsatisfactory housing situation is further reflected in the total and per capita availability of floor space of the main living area. The average floor space per person is 3.7m 2 . In Dhaka about 70% of the total housing stock is rented (ADB, 1997).…”

“…Eighty-nine percent of poor households in Dhaka live in one-roomed homes of the latter types. In the densely populated slums of Dhaka, the floor area per person is as small as 1.2m 2 . In short, the poor in Dhaka city live in impoverished conditions lacking access to land, shelter and basic urban services.…”

“…The Bangladesh strategy for collateral free loans to the poor (given peer group accountability) has been recognized worldwide (Begum, 2007). This, in microcosm, could be extended to housing sector finance, whereby groups or cooperatives could be recognized as viable units for land ownership and powers of acquisition.…”

Peripheral land conversion for land and housing development projects and its impacts upon the affected people: a study in Greater Dhaka

“…Meanwhile, land for housing is ever more becoming hard to find in this megacity. The dearth of valuable urban land, together with delays in urban planning and its implementation have made the acquisition of land for housing prohibitively expensive for middle and low-income households (Begum, 2007). Thus, similar to other cities of many developing countries urban fringes, particularly Dhaka are experiencing proliferation of 'land and housing development projects' 1 through massive land conversion/land filling 2 .…”