UNPLANNED RAPID URBANIZATION IN BANGLADESH: A THREAT TO HUMAN SECURITY

This article analyses how unplanned rapid urbanization in Bangladesh jeopardizes human security through intertwined risks: unsafe housing, congestion, flooding, pollution, precarious livelihoods and fragile services. It frames human security beyond crime and conflict to include access to clean water, sanitation, mobility, health care and dignified work. The paper traces drivers of urban growth—industrial clustering, rural distress, land markets and governance gaps—and maps how informal settlements grow in hazard-prone areas. It assesses policy instruments: urban planning statutes, building codes, metropolitan coordination, and fiscal transfers. The study explores practical solutions such as participatory slum upgrading, inclusive zoning, bus rapid transit, solid-waste reform and decentralized primary care. It argues that data-driven planning, social protection for migrants and climate-resilient infrastructure are essential to transform rapid growth into safer, more liveable cities.

The body opens with spatial patterns of growth in Dhaka, Chattogram and secondary cities, highlighting commuting burdens and service backlogs. Section One evaluates land-use governance: cadastral records, plot consolidation and transit-oriented development to curb sprawl. Section Two examines risk management—stormwater networks, retention ponds and building safety—linking them to disaster-risk-reduction frameworks. Section Three discusses health and environmental security: air quality enforcement, brick-kiln modernisation, and healthcare outreach for maternal and child health. Section Four addresses livelihoods: skills training, formalisation pathways for microenterprises and market access. Section Five sets out financing options—municipal bonds, PPPs and performance-based grants—paired with accountability through open data and citizen charters. The conclusion proposes a human-security scorecard that tracks service access, safety and resilience at the ward level, guiding investments and fostering accountability across agencies.