Bangladesh
Government outlines 10-year strategy for Bangladesh’s growing cities
The housing ministry is preparing a decade-long urban-development strategy, starting with metropolitan cities before expanding to larger cities and upazilas. The plan emphasises zoning, development control and city-specific master plans.
এই খবরটি আপাতত ইংরেজিতে পড়ুন
From 8 October 2026 — Daily Brief
The government is preparing a roughly 10-year urban-development strategy intended to bring more structured planning to Bangladesh’s metropolitan areas, larger cities and eventually upazilas.
Housing and Public Works Minister Zakaria Taher said the programme would begin with city-specific master plans for metropolitan areas and expand gradually to other urban centres.
The approach is expected to focus on zoning, control of unapproved construction, stronger development authorities and better coordination between land use, transport and energy planning.
The minister said six new development authorities have already been established. He also highlighted a basic planning problem in Dhaka: the lack of sufficiently reliable population data for infrastructure and service planning.
Bangladesh’s rapid urbanisation has often outpaced formal planning, contributing to congestion, pressure on utilities, wetland loss and construction that does not follow approved plans. A longer planning horizon could make investment more predictable if the rules are enforced consistently.
The initiative remains a policy programme rather than a completed set of master plans. Its effect will depend on detailed regulations, institutional capacity, reliable data and the ability of local authorities to enforce development controls.