‘City government’will be helpful for DAP implementation
The latest Detailed Area Plan for the capital has many new components like density mapping, school zoning and transport-oriented development, but its outcome will depend on proper implementation.
And the system of city government will be helpful for this.
Adil Mohammad Khan, former general secretary of Bangladesh Institute of Planners, said this in an interview with The Daily Star while giving his opinions on the DAP.
The government on August 23 published the gazette notification on the 20-year (2016-2035) master plan.
Only 10 percent of DAP-2010 was implemented due to the lack of capacity of agencies concerned and proper monitoring. To reap proper benefits from the DAP, strengthening the capacity of Rajuk is a must, said Adil.
This master plan will create a big opportunity for decentralisation as the proposals like density zoning and block development will restrict the rising population trend in Dhaka, he said.
The megacity is already bearing the brunt of the population four to five times its actual capacity and if the upward population trend can be restricted using this plan, Dhaka will be liveable.
"Density zoning was also included in DAP-2010 but it was not detailed. When Building Construction Rules-2008 was prepared, initially it was said that area-based FAR [floor area ratio] will be there. But it did not happen finally."
FAR is the ratio of a building's total floor area and the size of the piece of land upon which it is built. The government this time has fixed the ratio based on the characteristics of an area.
A developed area will get a higher FAR than an unplanned one to construct a building. Unplanned areas will have to keep more open spaces around the buildings, he said, adding that earlier, the ratio was the same for every area.
Adil, also executive director of the Institute for Planning and Development, said the area-based schooling system is a good move to reduce traffic congestion in the city.
"The proposal to build 627 quality schools, 285 colleges, and 287 hospitals is a very good initiation but its main challenge is getting land for its implementation."
Emphasising the need for a "city government" system, he said this concept is helpful for the proper implementation of DAP and all the development authorities will have to be brought under the city government.
To make the city development authority like the Rajuk people friendly, the city government is a must and all the planning and implementation will have to be done through the system.
Financial planning and fixing timeframes are also needed for the proper execution of the plan. "The government will have to be specific about which part it will work in which year and which government agency will lead which component," said the eminent town planner.