HUMAN SETTLEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT

URP 1101

Dulal Sarker, Lecturer

Dept. of Urban & Regional planning
Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology
Lecture Content

1. Basic concept
2. Definition of Urban areas
3. Urban Hierarchy in Bangladesh
4. Impacts of Urbanization
Basic Concepts

Urbanization- a process that leads to a higher proportion of the total population of an area
living in cities and towns

Urban growth- absolute or simple growth in the number of urban dwellers

Level of urbanization simply 'urbanization' refers to the proportion of a nation's population

living in urban areas.

Urbanism-characteristic way of life of urban dwellers

Basic Concepts

Urbanization is a process that reveals itself through temporal, spatial, and sectoral changes in
the demographic, social, economic, technological, and environmental aspects of life in a given
society. These changes manifest themselves in the increasing concentration of population in
human settlements larger than villages, in the increasing involvement of people in the
secondary and tertiary production functions, and in the progressive adoption of social traits
which are a type of traditional rural societies (R.P. Misra)
The process of urbanization can be expressed through:

Human Settlement Pattern

Occupational Pattern

Value System

Consumption Pattern

Life Style
Basic Concepts

The national policy recognizes six categories in the urban hierarchy and
recommends policy of growth in each category.

i. Megacity (Population 5 million and above): Dhaka city is the only megacity in Bangladesh. In view of
the extreme population pressure on the city, a policy of slowing down the growth rate of the city should be
pursued. This would imply discouraging further industrial and other major investments within the present
megacity area and encouraging such investments in other areas and cities.

ii. Metropolitan City (Population from 500,000 to less than 5 million): These will contain the highest
level functions of all sorts and serve as a regional center in all fields. The sustained growth of these cities
should be ensured but should be contained within the population limit.
iii. Regional City/Industrial City (Population from 200,000 to less than 500,000): These will be linked
physically to each other and to another urban centre by frequent and reliable transportation and all-weather
roads; offer diversified commercial, financial, professional, and administrative services. Growth incentives
should be offered.

iv. Secondary City/District Town (Population from 50,000 to less than 200,000): These will be the major
trade centre within the districts and provide marketing facilities for agricultural commodities, processed
goods, household and common consumer products; serve as a mode of transportation and distribution linked
to nearby regional centres, offer sites, infrastructure and other incentives to stimulate agro-processing plants,
small-scale consumer goods industries and bulk commodity handling facilities.
Basic Concepts

v. Small Town/Upazila Centre/Thana Town (Population from 20000 to less than 50000): These centres will
include permanent institutional facilities for higher secondary education, vocational services, health services
and professional skills; provide an area wide exchange p-int for trade in agricultural commodities, consumer
products, processed goods and farm inputs.

vi. Growth Centre/Local Centre/Compact Town (Population less than 20000): These centres will have large
agricultural markets with necessary warehousing and storage facilities and provide local periodic marketing
functions, extend all-weather transport access to Upazila and District Centres, accommodate small-scale agro-
processing and handicrafts, and provide basic health, recreation, education and administrative services.

vii. Rural Union/Village While at upazila level, there is at least one urban centre in each upazila, but within
an upazila, there are rural settlements or villages and non-settlements areas (agriculture, forest, etc). There is
need for such areas to be brought under proper land use/physical planning.
Early Urban Settlements in Bangladesh (period I)

❑ Mauryan period

✓ Urban Settlements in Bangladesh date back to 450 BC at two villages in Narshingdi district: Wari and
Bateshwar in Belabo Upazila
✓ Charcoal samples from the site evidenced the presence human habitation and industry in the area which is
more ancient.
✓ A prime trade center flourished in Narshindi that maintained contacts with contemporary South Asian and
Roman civilization through waterways (The Daily Independence, 2005)
Early Urban Settlements in Bangladesh (Period II)

✓ Represented by the occurrence of broken titles (roofing material), brickbats as temper or binding material in
the construction of mud walls.
✓ Cultural materials indicate the phase representing Mouryan period.
✓ This period was to be the earliest period in that area of Bengal forming a part of Bangladesh
✓ It is presumed that Bangladesh had some organized social, cultural and political life before the departure of
Alexander
✓ Bengal enjoyed a settled government long before the dawn of the historical period and there developed
subsequent powerful states.
✓ Brahmi script found in the Pundranagar (Mahasthangarh in Bogra) bear the testimony 0f Mauryan rule
(third century BC)
Early Urban Settlements in Bangladesh (Period II)

✓ Mahasthangarh represents the largest archeologist site in

Bangladesh consists of the ruins of ancient city
Pudranagar.
✓ 1500m N-S and 1400m E-W
✓ Enclosed by rampart wall that’s rise to an average height
of 6m from river level.
✓ The highest point of south east corner is occupied by the
Majar (tomb) of shah Sultan Mahisawar and by a
mosques of Mughal Emperor Farruk Siyar
Early Urban Settlements in Bangladesh (Period II)

✓ The northern, western and southern parts of the fortified city were encircled by a deep moat, traces of
which are visible in former two sides and partly in the letter side.
✓ The river Karatoya flows on the eastern side.
✓ The moat and the river served as a second line of defense of the fort city.
✓ Many isolated mounds have been found within 8km on north, south and west.
✓ These mounds testify the existence of suburbs of the ancient provincial capital.
✓ Arthasashasra by Chandragupta’s advisor Kautylia about the governance of city (how to rule, what to do,
what not to do)
Early Urban Settlements in Bangladesh (Period III)

❑ The Shaunga- Kusana (post Maryan) phase

✓ This period is marked by the subtaintial houses, brick-paved floors, post-holes,

terracotta ring well.
✓ Large quantity of terracotta plaques of Shunga affiliation, beads of semi precious stones
(agate, carnelian, quartz), silver punch marked coins, silver bangle, copper cast coins,
antinomy rods, large quatity of common pale red or buff wares (kind of ceramic) buffware
(especially dishes, cups and bowls) and grey ware.

Gray ware
Basic Concepts

Level of urbanization
simply 'urbanization’ refers to the proportion of a nation's population living in the urban areas. The degree or level of

urbanization may be denoted as,

𝑈𝑝
𝑈𝑛 = ×100
𝑇𝑝

Where,
𝑈 𝑛 = level of Urbanization,
𝑈𝑝 = total Urban Population
𝑇𝑝 = total population

❖ Urbanization is indicated by an increase in 𝑈 𝑛 over a period of time

Basic Concepts

Example: In 1981, the total population and urban population of Bangladesh were 87.12 and 13.54 million
respectively. Hence the level of urbanization in 1981,

𝑛 13.54
𝑈81 = 87.12
×100 = 15.54 percent

In 1991, the total population and urban population of Bangladesh were 111.45 and 22.45 million
respectively. Hence,
𝑛 22.45
𝑈91 = 111.45×100 = 20.15 percent

Urban population increased from 15.54 percent to 20.15 percent

Highest ever intercensal increase in the level of urbanization in the history of Bangladesh
Basic Concepts

Urbanism
➢ characteristic way of life of urban dwellers
➢ Urbanism is the study of the characteristic ways of interaction of inhabitants of town and cities (urban
areas) with the built environment.
➢ It is a direct component of Urban Planning
Basic Concepts

Primacy

➢ refers to the dominance of the largest city over the rest of the country

➢ is a result of unplanned development

Basic Concepts

Primate City

• a major city that works as the financial, political and population center of a country
• must be at least twice as populous as the second largest city in the country
• primate cities are often but not always, the capital cities of a country.

• the law of primate city is mainly applicable to agriculture based developing countries showing the
following characteristics:
• small territorial extent
• relatively high population densities
• low per capita income
Challenges of Urbanization
The challenges of urbanization are:
• Unplanned and unguided spontaneous urbanization with continuously mounting
problems;
• Lack of advanced planning for utility services, shelter and infrastructure;
• Lack of advanced planning for road infrastructure and public transportation, installation
of electric, gas, water, sewerage and telephone lines;
• Lack of comprehensive urbanization comprising all civic amenities like parks, lakes and
other recreational facilities;
• Absence of regulatory framework of urban public land and waterways to prevent their
misuse;
• Absence of conscious policy for utilization of urban public land and waterways which
could be used as resources for building civic amenities;
• Inadequate environmental concerns for protection of urban waterways, disposal of
solid
wastes and industrial sludge;
• Lack of concern for poor and slum dwellers;
• Absence of regulatory support for citizen’s protection against exploitation by home
developers and other private utility providers;
• Absence of strong mechanism for coordination of infrastructure development and
provision of utilities in all city corporation areas;