Page 90 - ICE BUSINESS TIMES March 2020

Urban Planning
The First
Town Plan
of Dhaka
Dhaka has seen a fair number
of town/ master/ structure/ in 1868 developed a plan for
urban plans developed in the
last 150 years by quite a few
experts, professionals and with broad traversing streets
authorities. Among them, the
first proper plan for the city
was done in 1917 by famous conventional and ignored the
town planner and one of the geography of the region and
forefathers of urban planning,
Sir Patrick Geddes who was a
biologist, sociologist and instalment, we touch upon the
geographer. Back then in the
British colonial period, it was
actually the job for the Civil
Surgeon of a town to plan for
it, mostly emphasizing on the
health and sanitation. So, Dr.
Henry Charles Cutcliffe, who
was born in the town of Belter
78
Part 1
!"#$%&'()(*&+#*&,-./0&(Beside this
road today’s Sheikh Burhanuddin
College Located. We know this road
as Nazimuddin Road today)
was the Civil Surgeon of Dhaka in Scotland. He was well ahead
of his time on issues such as
the city, But he basically ecology, preservation—both of
proposed a general grid pattern green space and of historic
structures-and the involvement
and rectangular blocks for the of citizens in the planning
modernization which was very process. Versed in sociology, he
brought its new methods of
scientific research to bear on
organic and historic nature of questions of urban form,
the city. In part 1 of this expansion, interior structure,
change over time, ethnic
first three chapters of how makeup, income distribution,
Dhaka city came to be. and seemingly every other
aspect of cities. He authored
Sir Patrick the book ‘Cities in Evolution’ in
Geddes 1915 where he makes a clear
link between the fields of
Patrick Geddes (1854-1932) biology and urbanism. He is
population. The evolution of Bazaars
as the growth center for trade and
commerce, and transportation hubs
are also briefly described.
The second chapter talks briefly about
the need and significance of a survey
of the old town, especially along the
Dholai Khal (mentioned as a great
natural moat) domination of Bara
Katra and Choto Katra, some temples
and mosques, all other civic facilities
like sanitation,institutions and
connections with major facilities by
roads and railways. Moreover, he
recommended that the survey outputs
should be displayed on the walls of
the City Council, Municipalities, Public
Health, Medical School and in
neighborhoods so that the general
public can participate and voice their
opinion.
The third chapter deals again with an
in-depth survey of the old town,
especially Wari, Thana W. C. area,
main streets and esplanade and
Report on Town improvements of Shakhari Bazar area
Planning, Dacca (a heavily congested area even back
(1917) then). Furthermore, criticism of the
So, what was exactly in the report by encroachment of 18-20 acre of land by
Prof. Patrick Geddes? As mentioned courts, municipal offices, college,
above, the report was the first known schools and missions. He also
initiative of town planning for Dhaka. described and provided how to
It is organized in several chapters on improve the main thoroughfare by
important components and distributing the traffic load towards
subsequently divided into smaller Panitola. He wanted to propose a
East-West connecting tram line but
subsections. He clearly mentioned
that, town development plan should wondered about the narrow streets.
Sir Patrich Geddes was indeed a
always be seen from a wider
called the “father of modern town perspective. It must include the futurist.
planning”. As Pierre Clavel writes in socio-economic wellbeing of the
his introduction to a 1971 reprint, inhabitants with respect to aesthetic
Geddes: Stay tuned to learn more how the cityscape
“began as a biologist, spent a fruitful and environmental benefit. City wonder that is Dhaka came to be and has evolved
since in Part 2 in our next issue.
planning is not simply about the
but largely unreported middle period
as a university and civic reformer, and infrastructures, rather it’s about the
people living there.
then began, in his 50s and 60s, a
highly visible and international public In the very first chapter he introduced
the idea of a physical model for
life with an increasing focus on city
planning.” Bengal Delta, not only for the city. He
took the whole river system to
The planner was invited by the
Governor of Madras to advise on perceive the riverine connection to
Dhaka with other peripheral regions of
emerging urban planning issues and
to develop a few strategic plans for the East Bengal. He described the
geographical features and later
towns in the Indian subcontinent. In
the end, between 1915 and 1919 defined how the natural drainage
system of the city was determined by
Geddes wrote a series of "exhaustive
town planning reports" on at least numerous Khals (canals), ponds,
ditches and marsh lands and how they
eighteen Indian cities, Dhaka was a
meet their end accumulating the
part of that initiative. rubbish from ever increasing