Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) Vol-2, Issue-10, 2016 ISSN: 2454-1362, http://www.onlinejournal.in Prospects of Urban Regeneration in Motijheel Commercial Area of Dhaka City Armita Kar1, Rafsun Mashraky2, Farzana Khatun3, Md. Ehsanul Huq4, Shoaib Mahmud5, Ishrat Islam6, Mohammad Shakil Akther7 1,2Lecturer, Department of Urban and Regional Planning (DURP), Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Dhaka, Bangladesh 3Assistant Professor, DURP, BUET, Dhaka, Bangladesh 4, 5 Graduate, DURP, BUET, Dhaka, Bangladesh 6, 7 Professor, DURP, BUET, Dhaka, Bangladesh Abstract: Since the independence of Bangladesh in exceeds the regional boundary and become a hub 1971, Motijheel Commercial Area has flourished of national or global significance [3]. Although as the main Central Business District (CBD) of flourished in the western world initially, it did not Dhaka City attributable to its rapid pace of take long to realize the need of CBD by the commercial development. However, the process of developing countries. development in this area followed a spontaneous The growth of such commercial hub in Dhaka City, but unplanned manner. As a consequence, this the capital of Bangladesh, does not follow any CBD is continuously confronting two key urban systematic process. Rather, its development is more problems: congestion and constriction- which are spontaneous. The commercial activities that had often considered as factors that necessitate urban been emerged on the bank of the river Buriganga regeneration. This paper focuses on identifying the during the Mughal period eventually expanded and scope of urban regeneration in Motijheel became one of the most important commercial hubs Commercial Area. The study recognizes the traffic of the city [4]. Despite not being at the center of the congestion problem of Motijheel with the city, the commercial significance of this area characteristics of high volume-capacity ratio, necessitated to declare and develop it as a planned illegal on street parking, inefficient management of commercial area for meeting up the demand of the public transport system and absence of pedestrian ever increasing commercial and administrative friendly facilities. The issue of constriction is activities back in the 1950s [5]. In this way, addressed as lack of opportunity for horizontal “Motijheel”- the most important commercial hub expansion of the CBD due to its densely developed was developed on a swampy marshy land in a surrounding area. Similar issues were experienced desolated fringe area in 1954 [4]. In the 1959 previously by city centers like- Wokingham, Fort Master Plan of Dhaka City, Motijheel was McMurray, Armagh, Liverpool etc and were demarcated as a commercial area but not a CBD tackled successfully by applying various techniques [6]. And to support this commercial hub, and strategies. Comparing those case studies with “Tikatuli”, located at the south, “Shantinagar” the present scenario of Motijheel, this paper also located at the north and “Kamalapur” located at the discusses some strategies to revitalize the CBD that east of Motijheel were developed as residential will help to make it functionally more efficient. settlements during 1950s 4. After the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, Motijheel grew as a 1. Introduction dynamic administrative and commercial area and The concept of the Central Business District served the purpose of CBD for the capital [4]. (CBD), an urban model, is nothing new in the field Since the independence, Dhaka city experienced a of city planning. As an essential outcome of rapid rapid rate of urbanization largely attributable to the urbanization and flourish of the major cities, this rural to urban migration [7]. concept emerged in the 19th century capitalist United States and gradually diffused to the other western countries [1]. According to the encyclopedia of World Geography, CBD is- “… the nucleus of an urban area that contains the main concentration of commercial land use” [2]. Being the focus of Figure 1.1: Trend of level of urbanization in financial, economic and administrative activities of Bangladesh the cities, the importance of CBD sometimes (Source: Rouf and Jahan, 2007 Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) Page 1435 Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) Vol-2, Issue-10, 2016 ISSN: 2454-1362, http://www.onlinejournal.in “… Comprehensive and integrated vision and Figure 1.1 shows the trend of urbanization in action which leads to the resolution of urban Bangladesh from 1891 to 1991 [8]. The rapid problems and which seeks to bring about a lasting growth after 1971 is evident from the figure. Even improvement in the economic, physical, social and after 44 years of independence, this trend is still environmental condition of an area that has been unchanged. According to the latest census report, subject to change” [14]. approximately 14.5 million people live here in The need of Urban Regeneration may arise from Dhaka City in just 1,325 square kilometers with a severe traffic congestion, structural obsolescence or density of 10,943 persons per square kilometer and constriction of the city center or the city as a whole an annual growth rate of4.34% [9]. As a result, the by the surrounding land uses [15]. Although most need of more CBDs also appeared and resulted in of the structures of Motijheel are not obsolete yet the development of some other areas with the (Field survey, 2013), the other two factors- characteristics of CBD- like Gulshan and Karwan congestion and constriction- are very much Bazar in Dhaka. But this never reduced the applicable in the context of Motijheel. This helps to pressure on Motijheel as it kept growing in terms of understand the need of regeneration in Motijheel. activities and employment. This can be better Throughout the world, many cities have comprehended from the change in land prices of successfully applied this technique of urban Motijheel. A study showed that land prices in planning. The city centers of Wokingham, Fort Motijheel increased by an astounding 2,400 percent McMurray, Armagh, Liverpool - all are the after the independence which is the highest among examples of successful implementation of Urban all other regions of the city [10]. Around 64% of Regeneration technique [16-19]. The problems- for the total lands in Motijheel are used solely for which regeneration was necessary in these cities- commercial activities, whereas 13.78% are resemble to the existing problems of Motijheel to a designated as of mixed land use, which also large extent. includes commercial activities along with other In the light of these case studies, this study aims at activities like institutional or residential activities finding the potentiality and scope of urban [11]. Over time, many CBDs in the world have regeneration in Motijheel to ensure a fully undergone such growth and continued to thrive. functional CBD. The objectives of the study But simultaneously they had confronted some key include- 1) justification of urban regeneration in problems like high population densities, traffic Motijheel Commercial Area (Motijheel C/A), with congestion, unplanned development, environmental respect to the factors of urban regeneration degradation and so on [12]. One of the oldest discussed previously, and 2) coming up with some CBDs of Bangladesh, Motijheel, is not an potential solutions that will enhance the existing exception to this fact. The CBD is now scenario. It involves a thorough study of the encountering many problems, including severe strategies taken by the cities under similar context traffic congestion during morning and evening and finally it identifies the extent to which these peak hour, unplanned construction of high rise strategies are applicable in Motijheel Commercial buildings, inadequate parking spaces and hence Area and provides some general recommendations reduction in effective road width by on-street car for the policy makers. parking; concentrated development surrounding the CBD allowing no room for horizontal expansion; 2. Materials and Methods underutilization of vacant lands and so on. Given This study is based on both primary and the rapid rate of growth, the situation will only secondary data. To fulfill the objectives, at first the deteriorate further in future unless some preventive study looked into the existing scenario of Motijheel measures are not taken immediately. Under this Commercial Area with respect to the factors that circumstance, for the proper functioning of the necessitates urban regeneration i.e. traffic CBD, Regeneration or Revitalization of Motijheel congestion, constriction problem. For this reason, a has become a must. “Urban Regeneration” is a reconnaissance survey was carried out to gather technique of urban planning that ensures a balance knowledge on the existing situation of the study between people, activities and place [13]. By area. Information on building uses, building height ensuring a balance among these three elements, and location of bus stoppages were collected achieving proper functionality of Motijheel in through the field survey. terms of uninterrupted and convenient activities Secondary resources like GIS (Geographic should be the major concern of all. Information Systems) maps were collected from “Urban Regeneration” or “Urban Renewal” is the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (RAJUK), the process to improve the physical, environmental, improvement authority of Dhaka City. These maps economic and social condition of an area.