1 AIT Asian Institute of Technology

Land use conversion in urban residential neighborhoods and its impact on the physical environment : a case study in Dhaka, Bangladesh

AuthorAfsana, Deel
Call NumberAIT Thesis no.UE-04-07
Subject(s)Land use--Bangladesh--Planning
NoteA thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science
PublisherAsian Institute of Technology
AbstractDhaka, the capital of Bangladesh experienced a tremendous change in its urban morphology by land use conversion due to increase of economic activities and population after liberation in 1971. The changes of building volume created multidimensional problems and causes serious impact on the infrastructure and services in the particular residential neighborhood. This research studies the phenomena of land use conversion in a urban residential area, Gulshan, Dhaka during the past 15 years (1989-2004), its environmental impact in the area, and the associated conflict arising from changes in urban morphology, and gaps among the different organizations. It also studies the implications of some policies to achieve sustainable environment of the neighborhood through better urban planning and environmental management. Gulshan Residential Area was the planned residential area by the government authority in Dhaka City for social elite's and .high rank government officers. The study limits its attention to the rapid land use conversion of this residential area and that might be created impact on the environment related to sewerage, drainage, water supply, solid wastes management, road condition and traffic congestion. The findings of the study identify that the conversion of the land use in the study area is based on economic development of Dhaka City, shifting of commercial area, residents demand and culture, and individualistic actions and preferences of landowners and real estate developers. In this research the existing land use has been analyzed and the quality of the physical environment was judged by analyzing the present condition of sewerage, drainage, water supply, solid waste management and traffic congestion of this area. In addition to this government planning framework and programmatic tools have had very limited effect in guiding and mitigating the adverse effects of haphazard and rapid redevelopment of land use. Now the area is characterized by mixed-land use where residential and commercial establishments encroached into previously homogenous residential area. The research concluded with the challenges confronting environmental management. On the basis of the conclusion the recommendations are interventions to address the existing environmental conflicts in the areas which emphasize coordination and co-operations among different relevant local authorities and their national agency partners and interventions of planning policies to mitigate the environmental problems due to further haphazard development arising from inappropriate land use conversion.
Year2004
TypeThesis
SchoolSchool of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD)
DepartmentDepartment of Development and Sustainability (DDS)
Academic Program/FoSUrban Environmental and Management (UE)
Chairperson(s)Perera, L. A. S. Ranjith
Examination Committee(s)Amin, A. T. M. Nurul ;Schmidt-Vogt, Dietrich ;Nowarat Coowanitwong
Scholarship Donor(s)AIT Fellowship
DegreeThesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2004


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