Strengthening Regional Planning and Governance in Bangladesh
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Technical Assistance Consultant’s Report Project Number: 39298 December 2012 Bangladesh: Strengthening Regional Planning and Governance (Financed by the TA Special Fund) Prepared by: Halcrow Group Limited, UKG For Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) This consultant’s report does not necessarily reflect the views of ADB or the Government concerned, and ADB and the Government cannot be held liable for its contents. Asian Development Bank Government of Bangladesh TA 7641-BAN: Strengthening Regional Planning and Governance Final Report Volume 1. Main Report December 2012 Halcrow Group Limited in association with BCL Associates Ltd, Dhaka Asian Development Bank Government of Bangladesh TA 7641-BAN: Strengthening Regional Planning and Governance Final Report Volume 1. Main report December 2012 Halcrow Group Limited in association with BCL Associates Ltd, Dhaka Halcrow Group Limited A CH2M HILL Company Vineyard House 44 Brook Green London W6 7BY Tel +44 (0)20 7602 7282 Fax +44 (0)20 7603 0095 www.halcrow.com Halcrow has prepared this report in accordance with the instructions of its client, Asian Development Bank, for its sole and specific use. Any other persons who use any information contained herein may do so at their own risk. © Halcrow 2012 Strengthening Regional Planning and Governance Knowledge Summary TA7641-BAN: Strengthening Regional Planning and Governance (SRPG) Knowledge Summary The overall aim of SRPG was to ‘streamline and strengthen the institutional frameworks of regional planning and governance’ and thereby address the institutional issues that currently contribute to making Dhaka one of the least liveable cities in the world and are seriously compromising the sustainability of its future development. It should be emphasized that SRPG is an institutional, and not a plan- or policy-making study. The study methodology was based around: (i) wide ranging consultations with key stakeholders including government, urban development experts, the legal profession, civil society, and the private sector; and document reviews; and (iii) international case studies (Delhi, Jakarta, London). Over 40 organisations and individual experts were consulted through one to one interviews, small group discussions, seminars, and workshops. Over 30 meetings were held with senior management, directors and deputy directors from all departments from RAJUK (Dhaka’s Capital Development Authority. A major stakeholder workshop was held in September 2012. This workshop, co-organised with RAJUK, was attended by the Minister of Housing and Public Works, RAJUK chairman and around 140 other stakeholders from government departments, academia, civil society and the private sector. Dhaka arguably faces the most extreme combination of urban problems of any mega-city – acute shortage of developable land, very high densities, high flood risk, rapidly decreasing groundwater levels, chaotic transportation, low levels of infrastructure and open space. And Dhaka is far less well placed to cope with the extreme weather events that have recently affected Bangkok, Japan and now New York. The need to tackle these issues emerged from virtually every consultation, including those with the private sector. Confronting these challenges will require urban institutions and metropolitan governance of the highest calibre. Yet Dhaka’s urban institutions are currently failing. The institutional challenges fall into three basic categories: i) those that relate primarily to RAJUK and the urban planning system; (ii) those involving sectoral issues – regional economic development, transportation and environmental management; and (iii) those that relate to the wider issue of overall metropolitan governance and inter- agency co-ordination. The importance of these issues was confirmed by RAJUK early in the study. They were also raised extensively during all the study’s consultations and are the subject of frequent media reports. The study generated proposals to address all these issues, as summarized overleaf. Although the study focused on Dhaka, many of the proposals and legislation will be applicable to other urban centres in Bangladesh; many would also be relevant to other large developing country cities. The bottom line is that if the development of large Asian cities is to become more economically, environmentally and socially sustainable, action has to be taken now to plan for the future, identify priority infrastructure projects, safeguard their rights of way and mobilize the necessary finance. This will require a combination of committed leadership, effective institutions and a climate of inter-agency co-ordination and co-operation. Key lessons learnt from the study are summarized overleaf. SRPG Summary Proposals SRPG, Final Report Halcrow Group Limited/ BCL, December 2012. Strengthening Regional Planning and Governance Knowledge Summary 1. Strengthening urban planning through measures which include: increased flexibility, enhanced procedures for public consultation and participation, promotion of pro-active planning (including land readjustment), introduction of financial contributions for developers of major projects, measures to increase the provision of housing for the urban poor, strengthening development control and its enforcement. A new planning Act has been prepared to give legal force to these recommendations. 2. Strengthening RAJUK by; upgrading the status of its board and introducing measures to increase its decision-making and financial autonomy; substantial organizational development, staff capacity building and training measures. 3. Rebuilding public confidence and trust in RAJUK and its operations: increased transparency with greater public dissemination of information, tighter adherence to its own plans, policies and environmental legislation, greater concern for the needs of lower income groups, and more attention to the whole metropolitan area relative to its land development activities. 4. Measures to improve the co-ordination of agencies involved in land use, transportation and economic planning, project identification, implementation and budgeting; and the much closer integration of these with environmental management. 5. The phased introduction of comprehensive metropolitan governance including the transfer of local planning functions to local authorities and the gradual establishment of a Metropolitan Development Authority encompassing a full range of strategic land use, transportation, economic and environmental functions. SRPG: Summary of Lessons Learnt 1. Urban planning in developing country cities has a poor track record, yet it is crucial to addressing the issues which currently compromise the sustainable development of these cities. To be more effective, planning has to: become more flexible, be more strongly enforced, properly address the needs of the urban poor, and become more pro-active in the establishment of coherent spatial structures in fast-growing urban fringe areas. 2. Yet any planning system will fail if the institutional capacity to implement plans through a combination of strong development control and enforcement, and the creation of partnerships with sectoral agencies, developers, land owners and communities, is lacking. 3. Successful urban development does not result from good planning alone. It requires effective collaboration with key sectoral agencies (especially transportation) in the identification, planning, funding and implementation of priority infrastructure. Hence the SRPG proposals to establish inter- agency mechanisms to promote knowledge sharing, trust and co-operation. 4. Good planning and institutions are a necessary condition for sustainable urban development, yet without the necessary resources to invest in the required infrastructure little will be possible. Hence the importance of proposals to increase income from land sales, developers’ obligations and land sales. 5. Major institutional re-structuring, e.g. the establishment of Metropolitan Development Authorities, should generally be seen as a longer term objective. In the short term, such re-structuring is likely to be controversial and delay the introduction of other crucial, but more easily implementable, proposals. It is also unlikely to overcome existing weaknesses in current institutions or wider issues related to improper influence and inadequate finance. Hence SRPG’s emphasis on strengthening existing institutions and developing co-ordination mechanisms related to: annual infrastructure planning and budgeting, major development projects, planning enforcement activities, the integration of land use and environmental approval procedures, and right of way safe-guarding. SRPG, Final Report Halcrow Group Limited/ BCL, December 2012. Strengthening Regional Planning and Governance Executive Summary TA7641-BAN: Strengthening Regional Planning and Governance (SRPG) Executive Summary 1. Objectives and Approach 1. The overall aim of SRPG is to ‘streamline and strengthen the institutional frameworks of regional planning and governance’ and thereby address the institutional issues that currently contribute to making Dhaka one of the least liveable cities in the world and are seriously compromising the sustainability of its future development. SRPG is an institutional, and not a plan- or policy-making study1. 2. As set out in the TOR, the consultants’ technical proposal, and subsequently confirmed at the outset of the study, the study methodology has been based around: (i) wide ranging consultations with key stakeholders including government, urban development