report - World Urban Campaign

UTC
10
Megacities:
Bridging Reality & Aspiration
6 – 8 November 2016
Dhaka, Bangladesh
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Urban Thinkers Campus: 10 – Megacities: Bridging Reality & Aspiration
Disclaimer:
The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication pages do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the secretariat
of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries
regarding its economic system or degree of development. Excerpts may be reproduced without authorization, on condition that the source is indicated. Views expressed in
this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, the United Nations and its member states.
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Urban Thinkers Campus: 10 – Megacities: Bridging Reality & Aspiration
Table of Contents:
Urban Thinkers Campus in figures ............................................................................................................................................. 4
Introduction................................................................................................................................................................................. 5
The City We Need Principle(s) addressed.................................................................................................................................. 6
Matrix of linkages - TCWN 1.0 vs. new recommendations....................................................................................................... 7
Key outcomes of the UTC........................................................................................................................................................... 8
Key recommendations................................................................................................................................................................ 8
Key actors................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Outstanding issues................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Urban solutions......................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Speakers................................................................................................................................................................................... 11
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Urban Thinkers Campus: 10 – Megacities: Bridging Reality & Aspiration
Urban Thinkers Campus in figures
3
252
COUNTRIES
REPRESENTED
PARTICIPANTS
9
CONSTITUENT
GROUPS
REPRESENTED
88
ORGANIZATIONS
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Urban Thinkers Campus: 10 – Megacities: Bridging Reality & Aspiration
Introduction
©UN-Habitat
The Urban Thinkers Campus (UTC) titled “Megacities: Bridging Reality &
The Urban Thinkers Campus was organized in Bangladesh University of
Aspiration” was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh from 6 - 8 November 2015. The
Engineering & Technology (BUET), the top ranking Technical University
Department of Architecture and Department of Urban & Regional Planning,
of the country, with a hope to decipher and share the knowledge and
BUET jointly hosted the first UTC of Bangladesh.
experiences with the national and international stakeholders. The outcome
The growing Megacities of Asia deserve special attention. The sociopolitical dynamics of the megacities and their interaction with surrounding
regions and global systems need to be addressed. Urban thinkers need
to recognize the aspiration through evaluating the reality of developing
of the campus will be communicated to Habitat III to include the relevant
issues in their New Urban Agenda. In response, the declaration of Habitat
III will direct the policy makers towards a sustainable future for megacities
like Dhaka.
world. Bangladesh, a rapidly urbanizing country, shows some phenomena
Thus the UTC was held here with the following objectives-
of uncontrolled and unplanned urban growth since last few decades.
§Identification of prime concerns on Housing, Mobility, Resilience,
Due to economic as well as administrative centralization the capital city,
Dhaka, is facing some serious urban problems. The major problem lies
here in sectors like housing, transportation, disasters and spatial quality.
Experts and stakeholders are engaged from different platforms which needs
coordination and control.
Identity and Public Spaces of Megacity Dhaka city.
§Sharing of knowledge and ideas from similar situations on other parts
of the world.
§Formulation of a Framework for future development.
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Urban Thinkers Campus: 10 – Megacities: Bridging Reality & Aspiration
The City We Need
Principle(s) addressed
Note: Participants of eight constituent group sessions and four urban
thinker sessions concluded their sessions with a set of recommendations.
Later in drafting sessions, recommendations from total 12 sessions are
compiled together to prepare the final 10 recommendations (Dhaka
1. The City we need is socially inclusive
Declaration1). All the nine principles of city we need are discussed in the
2. The city we need is well planned, walkable, and transit-friendly
eight constituent group sessions and Urban Thinker Sessions had special
3. The city we need is a regenerative city
focus on housing, mobility, identity and resilience. In the following matrix,
4. The city we need is economically vibrant and inclusive
the “City We Need Principles” are linked with these ten recommendations.
5. The city we need has a singular identity and sense of place
The “City We Need Principles” are not merged together because each of
6. The city we need is a safe city
these nine principles has its own definition and dimension. But in some
7. The city we need is a healthy city
cases, one principle is addressed in more than one recommendation.
8. The city we need is affordable and equitable.
Again two/three principles can be linked with two/three recommendations
9. The city we need is managed at the metropolitan level
as a group. This matrix shows that urban issues, problems and potential
interventions are often interlinked with each other.
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espectrolivre.org
©UN-Habitat
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Urban Thinkers Campus: 10 – Megacities: Bridging Reality & Aspiration
Matrix of linkages - TCWN 1.0 vs. new recommendations
The Matrix explains the linkages between new recommendations and existing principles. It clearly identifies the proposals and impact on specific principles:
The City We Need
Mega Cities: Bridging Reality & Aspirations
• The city we need is socially inclusive
Inclusiveness planning to address need of people from different economic class, occupation (formal &
• The city we need is economically vibrant and inclusive
informal), gender, age (children, youth & elderly), physical and mental ability
The city we need is well planned
• Promote capacity building of authorities and ensure efficient governance through accountability,
transparency, and empowerment of stakeholders.
• Engage appropriate professionals and ethical practices in development agencies to ensure the
implementation of policies and plans. Address the nexus of vested interest groups which is the major
barrier towards development.
• Increase resource support for home grown research agenda and ensure integration among research,
policy making and implementation.
• The city we need has a singular identity and sense of place
Promote intermediate town /city development with linkage to maintain identity of mega city and reduce
• The city we need is managed at the metropolitan level
concentration of pulling factors in Megacity beyond its capacity
• The city we need is a safe city
• The city we need is a healthy city
• The city we need is a regenerative city
• Risk sensitive land use planning should be ensured based on contextual experience and knowledge of
local community. Socially inclusive plan to create awareness and understanding to cope with a post
disaster management plan at local level.
• Integration of land use and transportation and planning for an integrated multi-modal transport system
with special emphasis on walking, bicycling and public transport.
• Immediate action is required to stop air, water, soil pollution and ruthless destruction of natural
resources like water bodies, open spaces and heritage sites. All natural and physical urban features
which contribute to the city’s Identity should be identified and enlisted for preservation and public use.
The city we need is affordable and equitable
• Ensure access to affordable housing, transport, utility services, facilities (education, health etc.) and
safe food.
• Elements of housing e.g. land, finance, supply and management must be planned at the macro level
and strategic planning must be done for implementation. Cross subsidy must be considered for housing
provision to the low income group.
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Urban Thinkers Campus: 10 – Megacities: Bridging Reality & Aspiration
Key outcomes of the UTC
Key recommendations
The main outcome of the UTC Dhaka 2015 titled, “Megacities: Bridging
The following recommendations, in no particular order reflect the
reality & Aspiration” was the Dhaka Declaration . Highlights of Dhaka
challenges identified and addressed by the UTC Dhaka 2015.
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Declaration as mentioned below summarize all sessions, lab and debate
stating future actions in dealing the challenges faced by the Megacity,
Dhaka.
1. Capacity building for efficient governance:
Promote capacity building of authorities and ensure efficient
1. Capacity building for efficient governance
governance through accountability, transparency, and empowerment
2. Social inclusiveness in city planning
of stakeholders.
3. Decentralization with improved linkages
2. Inclusive city planning:
4. Affordable housing & services
5. Policy implementation through appropriate professional & their ethical
Inclusive planning to address need of people from different economic
classes, occupations (formal and informal), gender, age (children,
practices
youth and elderly), physical and mental ability.
6. Management of housing elements (at macro level)
7. Integrated multi-modal transport system
8. Preservation & public use of natural resources and heritage sites
3. Decentralization with improved linkages:
9. Risk sensitive land use planning
Promote intermediate town /city development with linkage to
10.Integration among research, policy making and implementation
maintain identity of mega city and reduce concentration of pulling
factors in Megacity beyond its capacity.
4. Affordable housing & urban services:
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Ensure access to affordable housing, transport, utility services,
facilities (education, health etc) and safe food.
5. Policy implementation through appropriate professional
& their ethical practices:
Engage appropriate professionals and ethical practice in development
agencies to ensure the implementation of policies and plans. Address
the nexus of vested interest groups which is the major barrier towards
development.
6. Management of housing elements (at macro level):
Elements of housing e.g. land, finance, supply and management must
be planned at the macro level and strategic planning must be done
for implementation. Cross subsidy must be considered for housing
provision to the low income group.
7. Integrated multi-modal transport system:
Integration of land use and transportation and planning for an
integrated multi-modal, a just urban transport system with special
emphasis on walking, non-motorized vehicles and public transport.
©UN-Habitat
Transport decisions should be knowledge based, bottom-up and be
supported by legal & financial instruments.
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Urban Thinkers Campus: 10 – Megacities: Bridging Reality & Aspiration
8. Preservation & public use of natural resources and
heritage sites
Immediate action is required to stop air, water, soil pollution and
ruthless destruction of natural resources like water bodies, open
spaces and heritage sites. All natural and physical urban features
which contribute to the city’s Identity should be identified and enlisted
for preservation and public use.
9. Risk sensitive land use planning
Risk sensitive land use planning should be ensured based on
contextual experience and knowledge of local community. Socially
inclusive plan to create awareness and understanding to cope with a
Key actors
From the presentations, debates and discussions during three day campus
different actions were identifies as necessary to obtain the city as we need
it. Proposed actions as recognized in the recommendations are capacity
building for efficient governance; social inclusiveness in city planning;
decentralization with improved linkages; affordable housing & services;
policy implementation through appropriate professional & their ethical
practices; management of housing elements (at macro level; integrated
multi-modal transport system; preservation & public use of natural
resources and heritage sites; risk sensitive land use planning; integration
among research, policy making and implementation.
post disaster management plan at local level.
The key actors, which are identified to obtain the city we need, are as below:
10.Integration among research, policy making and
implementation:
1. Departments of Government
2. Different Agencies of Local Government
Increase resource support for home grown research agenda
3. Development Authorities
and ensure integration among research, policy making and
4. Non-government Organizations
implementation.
5. Civil Society Organizations
6. Trade Associations
7. Professional Institutions
8. Universities and Research Organizations
9. Media Personnel
10.Foundations & Philanthropies
©UN-Habitat
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Urban Thinkers Campus: 10 – Megacities: Bridging Reality & Aspiration
Outstanding issues
The most important issue that appeared essential to bridge the realities
and governance of planning Dhaka and other cities seems essential. In
and aspirations of a megacity like Dhaka is “a sustainable and indicative
addition, potential complementary interests and conflict of interests of
urban policy”. The policy should be responsive to the local needs, context
multiple stakeholders should be addressed carefully while formulating
and capacities but compatible to global goals and agenda. While non-
objectives and undertaking actual projects. Both the city leaders and users/
local support in terms of knowledge, finance, technology transfer etc. is
citizens need to be sensitized about the risks, problems and potentials
vital, the agenda should be bottom up rather than being donor driven,
and whole task of development management should be implemented
socially just rather than being economically feasible alone, as well as be
through participatory governance, led by an empowered metropolitan
both environment and poverty sensitive. Therefore, a strong local political
government and coordinated vertically and horizontally involving public and
(and governmental) commitment, global (government to government and
private actors and agencies. Planning housing, mobility and land use and
people to people) support, should merge with local knowledge, capacity of
management of disasters should be inclusive, just and democratic; citizens
implementing and operating bodies including the community based and non-
particularly those having little or no voice, affordability and capability
government organizations. Finally, the policy must not focus physical issues
should be prioritized. Achieving these purposes also requires a redefinition
alone but also concentrate on social aspects of urban living. This should not
of concepts of identity, housing and mobility and recognition of inevitable
imply to a specific city like Dhaka, but also need to address the livability and
risks due to different human and natural hazards, at least in the context
economic attractiveness of other small and intermediate cities.
of Dhaka. Therefore, sustainability, history, users’ needs, perceptions and
ability, distribution of benefits and burdens etc. should be considered along
Urban solutions
with technical factors and economic forces.
Immediate decentralization and proper adaptation are needed to put capital
Dhaka back on track as numerous problems have made it one of the most
unlivable cities in the world. Understanding cities should go beyond cityscale, i.e. at regional or higher level, but addressing its problems should be
done at both local and regional levels. To reduce local problems of shortage
of befitting housing, jobs and other facilities in megacities like Dhaka, and
check compromising social and local priorities in land use and transport
planning, disaster management etc., there should be a hierarchy of small
and medium towns and cities in urban-regions. At local scale, each of the
town or city authority should be empowered to identify its own identity
and development agenda – which will not be top-down or donor driven.
Authorities should be made capable with respect to human, technical and
financial and other resources to implement them. Plus at global and regional
levels, development agenda and implementation mechanism should be
coordinated and complementary to each other.
Unequal development and unjust distribution of resources due to
ineffective planning and imperfect maintenance and monitoring seem to
be a common phenomenon here in Dhaka. Therefore, rethinking the process
©UN-Habitat
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Urban Thinkers Campus: 10 – Megacities: Bridging Reality & Aspiration
Speakers
Professor Nazrul Islam -Chairman, Center of Urban Studies (CUS), Dhaka
Prof. Dr. Akter Mahmud - Professor, Department of URP, Jahangirnagar
Prof. Dr. Sayed Manzoorul Islam – Professor, Dept. of English, University
University
of Dhaka
Ar. Taimur Islam - Urban Study Group [USG], Dhaka
Prof. Dr. Roxana Hafiz -Professor, Department of Urban and Regional
Ar. Nurur Rahman Khan - TKNRK Architects Ltd
Planning, BUET
Mr. Anisur Rahman - Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority
Prof. Dr. Mujibor Rahman - Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, BUET.
Mr. Maruf Ahmed - WBB Trust
Dhaka
Ar Mustapha Kamal Zulkarnain - PAM Council member 2015-2016,
Prof. Dr. Moazzem Hoaasain - Professor, Dept of Civil Engg., BUET
Chairman of Urban Wellbeing, Sustainable Housing and Environmental
Planner Ahmed Akhtaruzzaman - Urban Development Directorate,
Resilience Committee (USHER)
Dhaka
Ar. Towfiq Utpal - Deputy Director [R & D], Urban Development Directorate,
Engineer Dr. Toufiq M. Seraj - Managing Director, Sheltech (Pvt.) Ltd.
Dhaka
©UN-Habitat
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Urban Thinkers Campus: 10 – Megacities: Bridging Reality & Aspiration
List of all countries present
1. Bangladesh
2. India
3. Malaysia
List of organizations present
1. Action for Social Development (ASD)
24. Development Design Consultants Ltd. (DDC)
2. Action AID BD
25. Delta Brac Housing Finance Corp. Ltd.
3. Asian Development Bank (ADB)
26. Dept. of Architecture, Government of Bangladesh.
4. Archetype Ltd.
27. Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), Government of Bangladesh
5. Tanya Karim N.R Khan & Associate (TKNRK)
28. Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA)
6. Asian Paints, BD
29. Dhaka University
7. Ahsanullah University of Science &Technology (AUST)
30. Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Traffic west division
8. Bangladesh television
31. Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), Government of Bangladesh
9. Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA)
32. East West University
10. BD Passenger Welfare Association
33. Ekattor T.V.
11. BD Scouts
34. Eminence
12. BD Urban Forum
35. Engineering University School & College, BUET
13. Bangladesh Disaster Preparedness Center (BDPC)
36. National Garments Workers’ Federation
14. Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP)
37. Gulshan Youth Club
15. BRAC
38. Green Savers
16. BRAC University
39. Habitat for humanity, BD
17. Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, BUET
40. Huairou Commission
18. Bangladesh University (BU)
41. Institute of Architect, Bangladesh (IAB)
19. CARE Bangladesh
42. ICOMOS, BD
20. Caritas-BD
43. Jahangir Nagar University (JU)
21. Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP)-2
44. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
22. Centre for Urban Studies (CUS)
45. KfW, the Development Bank of Germany
23. Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI)
46. Khulna University
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Urban Thinkers Campus: 10 – Megacities: Bridging Reality & Aspiration
List of organizations present
47. KS Consultants Ltd.
68. Stamford University
48. Labor at Informal Economy (LIE)
69. The Amader Shomoy
49. Local Government Engineering Development (LGED), Government of
70. The Daily Amader Orthoneeti
Bangladesh
71. The Daily Banik Barta
50. Medhakunja Model School
72. The Daily Jugantor
51. Narayaganj City Corporation (NCC), Government of Bangladesh
73. The Daily Prothom Alo
52. National Grass Root Disabilities Organization (NGDO)
74. The Daily Samakal
53. Nirapad Development Foundation
75. The Daily Star
54. North South University (NSU)
76. The Financial Express
55. Urban wellbeing, Sustainable Housing and Environmental Resilience
77. Urban Design Development (UDD), Government of Bangladesh
Committee (USHER)
78. UN-Habitat
56. Participatory Development Action Programme (PDAP)
79. UNICEF
57. Pratyasha
80. United People Trust
58. Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK), Government of Bangladesh
81. UN-Major group of Children & Youth
59. Readymade Garments Workers Federation (RGWF)
82. Urban Study Group (USG)
60. Roads & Highways Department, Government of Bangladesh
83. VITTI Sthapati Brindo Ltd.
61. Save the Children Bangladesh
84. Women Architects, Engineers and Planners Association (WAEPA)
62. Save the Coastal People- SCOPE
85. Waste Concern
63. Shahjalal University of Engineering & Technology
86. World Urban Campaign/ GAP
64. Sheltech Consultants (pvt.) Ltd.
87. Work For Better BD (WBB) Trust
65. South East University
88. Zahir Uddin & Associates
66. Shahjibazar Power Co. Ltd. (SPCL)
67. Spectrum
www.buet.ac.bd
United Nations Human Settlements Programme
P.O. Box 30030 Nairobi 00100, Kenya
World Urban Campaign Secretariat
www.worldurbancampaign.org
Email: [email protected]
Tel.: +254 20 762 1234
www.unhabitat.org