Rajuk's move to raise the limit on how much floor space can be built on a plot of land risks deepening environmental challenges and hindering the country's SDG ambitions, experts say.
The regulation, formally called Floor Area Ratio (FAR), is mentioned in the draft amendment to the 2022 Detailed Area Plan (DAP) of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk).
Housing Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan approved the draft on 10 August. The authorities have yet to publish a gazette regarding the amendment.
Compared to the regulations set in 2022, the amended DAP 2022–2035 proposes increasing FAR by 20% to 80% for most areas of the capital.
The Floor Area Ratio (FAR) is the maximum limit of the ratio of a building's total floor area to the size of the plot. An FAR of 10, for example, means one can build 10 times the floor area of the plot, in whatever configuration: a 5-storey building that fills the plot, or a 10 storey building on half the plot.
Raising FAR means allowing taller buildings on the same size of plot. This may lead to more people living in one particular area.
Asib Ahmed, associate professor of geography at Dhaka University, says when FAR is increased, it allows more floor space (more apartments, offices, or shops) to be built on the same plot of land.
In a city like Dhaka, this may exacerbate gas and water shortage, poor waste management, and other problems. Allowing greater vertical growth could worsen pollution and threaten Bangladesh's sustainable development goals (SDGs), experts say.
The SDGs 17 global goals adopted in 2015 by UN member states to reach by 2030.
Vertical growth may undermine efforts to reach the goals of sustainable cities and communities, clean water and sanitation, good health and well-being, and climate action.
Professor Kasphia Nahrin who teaches urban planning at Jahangirnagar University says increasing the ratio is an "absolutely wrong decision".
"I do not understand why policymakers are not being advised about the consequences. City dwellers are already facing severe problems like waterlogging due to poor drainage. With an increase in FAR, the population density will rise even further. It is impossible to raise the ratio without compromising on safety," she says.
She adds that the move will primarily benefit developers and undermine efforts to achieve the SDGs.
Asib Ahmed says, "There is already a gas shortage in the city and the water connections have many problems. If water, gas, drainage, and waste management services aren't upgraded alongside vertical growth, developers or landowners may try to grab nearby open spaces or waterbodies to make more room for construction or parking.
Nurunnahar Mili, member of the Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP), tells Stream that when FAR is increased without proper planning, it can make neighbourhoods overcrowded, and reduce the quality of life.
Asib Ahmed says areas with higher population density experience greater heat stress. "When you combine the challenges of waste management, heat stress, pollution, and disruptions in services, it has a serious impact on the environment."
Mahfuza Akter, urban planner (planning) at Rajuk, says increasing the ratio could benefit low-income groups.
FAR is being raised along with the number of housing units.
"The government also plans to introduce inclusive zoning and low-income flats."
Zareen Habiba Islam, who teaches architecture at the University of Asia Pacific, recommends adopting plot consolidation, where two or more small, adjacent plots are combined into a larger one.
Larger plots allow for better building design, with enough space for parking, ventilation, and open areas, he says.
Plot consolidation helps ensure vertical growth is better planned, safer, and more efficient.
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