Published: 12:00 AM, 07 October 2026
Let Accommodating Citizens Be a Human Right, Let Cities Be Part of Nature
Shafiqul Islam Khokon
We are very familiar with the words “settlement” and “habitation.” Likewise, the word “residence” is part of our everyday vocabulary. We use many other terms to describe the places where people live—homes, houses, dwellings, residences, and so on. At their core, all these words express the idea of human shelter, habitation, and ways of living.
A house is not merely a structure made of bricks, sand, cement, and steel. A settlement is not simply a collection of buildings. Safe shelter, clean water, sanitation, mobility, education, healthcare, employment, open spaces, and a clean environment—all of these together constitute a complete and livable settlement. Therefore, the question of housing is ultimately a question of people's quality of life, the economy, the environment, and the safety of future generations.
The world is rapidly urbanizing. But we are not thinking enough about what our future will look like. Most people are moving toward cities. We have reached a point where living in a city is sometimes perceived as something reserved for the wealthy, or as a sign of being educated. Neither assumption is correct.
The Cost of Unplanned Urbanization:
Urbanization itself is not a problem. We are not rejecting cities. Planned urbanization can bring economic activity, employment, education, healthcare, and civic services closer to people. Cities can become centers of innovation and economic progress. But unplanned urbanization makes cities increasingly difficult places to live.
When wetlands are filled to construct buildings, canals are occupied to build roads, agricultural land is rapidly converted into residential areas, densely populated neighborhoods develop without adequate open spaces, and industrial facilities or heavy traffic are introduced without proper planning in residential areas, cities lose their natural balance.
We are already seeing the consequences: waterlogging, traffic congestion, air pollution, rising temperatures, noise pollution, water shortages, inadequate sanitation, and the shrinking of green spaces.
Is the Earth Becoming Uninhabitable?
The question is alarming, but there is no simple answer. There is no single scientific measurement showing what percentage of the Earth's surface has become uninhabitable. Habitability does not depend only on land. Access to water, temperature, flood risk, food, infrastructure, healthcare, employment, and people's capacity to adapt are also important factors.
However, there is clear evidence that the risks are increasing.
According to UN-Habitat's World Cities Report 2026, approximately 2.8 billion people worldwide live in some form of inadequate housing. More than 1.1 billion of them live in informal settlements and slums. The report also states that the global housing deficit for safe, secure, and adequate housing increased from 251 million units in 2010 to 288 million units in 2023.
The Reality of Bangladesh Is Even More Important:
The issue is particularly important for Bangladesh. According to recent World Bank data, around 33 percent of Bangladesh's total population was living in urban areas in 2025. At the same time, the country's urban population continues to grow significantly.
According to World Bank analysis, Bangladesh's urban population increased by 11.5 million between 2011 and 2022, with a substantial share of this increase resulting from migration from rural areas to cities. Dhaka and Chattogram have come under particularly intense pressure from this urban growth.
Climate change may also drive a portion of the rural population toward cities in search of jobs, safety, and livelihoods. As a result, urbanization may accelerate not only because of economic factors but also because of climate-induced displacement.
World Bank analyses on Bangladesh have highlighted the risks of extreme heat, urban flooding, sea-level rise in coastal areas, and infrastructure vulnerability. They have also emphasized the importance of climate-resilient infrastructure, affordable and resilient housing, and nature-based solutions in cities such as Dhaka and Chattogram.
Does Dhaka Simply Need to Grow Taller?:
This is one of the major questions facing our urban planning. It is true that Dhaka faces a shortage of land. Therefore, high-rise buildings may be necessary. But simply increasing building heights cannot solve the housing problem.
If a 20-story building has no adequate playground nearby, no pedestrian-friendly pathways, no trees, insufficient parking, inadequate public transportation, poor drainage, and schools and hospitals located far away, it is difficult to call that planned housing.
Vertical development can be planned, but vertical chaos is also possible.
Therefore, building approvals must be linked to area-based planning for transportation, water supply, electricity, sanitation, waste management, open spaces, emergency services, and climate risks.
Water Bodies and Green Spaces Are Not “Extra Amenities”
A fundamental change is needed in our approach to urban planning: canals, water bodies, rivers, low-lying areas, parks, and trees must not be viewed as obstacles to development. They are the city's natural infrastructure.
Where will rainwater go? How will urban heat be reduced? How will groundwater be recharged? Where will people walk, relax, and spend time? Green spaces and wetlands are directly connected to all these questions.
The more a city is covered in concrete, the less opportunity rainwater has to seep into the ground. Similarly, the loss of trees and green spaces can intensify the urban heat island effect.
For Bangladesh, therefore, “gray infrastructure”—roads, bridges, buildings, and drains—must be considered alongside “green and blue infrastructure”—trees, parks, canals, water bodies, and wetlands.
Housing Must Also Be Affordable:
Another essential condition of planned housing is affordability. If a house is beyond the reach of ordinary people, it cannot solve the housing crisis in a meaningful social sense.
One of the major causes of the global housing crisis is the combination of high housing prices, land costs, insecure tenure, and housing expenses that rise faster than people's incomes. UN-Habitat's World Cities Report 2026 directly links housing with poverty reduction, employment, health, and climate resilience.
Therefore, initiatives such as social and affordable housing for low- and middle-income people, rental housing, low-interest financing, and planned satellite towns are urgently needed.
A city does not become sustainable simply by creating beautiful residential areas for the wealthy. The people who keep a city functioning—sanitation workers, transport workers, construction workers, teachers, nurses, shopkeepers, and others—also need safe housing within the city or within a reasonable commuting distance.
We Need Not Only New Cities, but New Thinking
Bangladesh must move beyond a Dhaka-centered approach to future urbanization.
If planned second- and third-tier cities, industrial centers, educational and healthcare hubs, and employment opportunities are developed across different regions, the excessive pressure on Dhaka can be reduced.
The World Bank has also emphasized the importance of developing climate-resilient secondary cities in Bangladesh to accommodate climate migrants and reduce pressure on Dhaka.
In other words, future urban planning must be polycentric. Not all opportunities and services should be concentrated in one city. Employment, education, healthcare, and housing opportunities should be distributed across different regions.
We Still Have an Opportunity to Build the Cities of the Future:
One important fact gives us reason for optimism. According to UN-Habitat's World Cities Report 2026, approximately 60 percent of the buildings that will exist on Earth in 2050 have not yet been constructed.
This means we still have an opportunity to change how future cities and housing systems are developed.
To make use of this opportunity, development cannot be measured simply by “how many buildings have been constructed.” We must measure how safe, green, affordable, climate-resilient, and livable our cities have become.
Because the true beauty of a city does not lie in the height of its buildings. What matters is how safely, comfortably, and dignifiedly its people are able to live.
Conclusion
The essence of World Habitat Day reminds us that housing is a basic human need. But future settlements must be designed in a way that creates coexistence—not conflict—between people and nature.
We need development, but not development that kills rivers to build cities; fills wetlands to create residential areas; cuts down trees and increases heat; or pushes low-income people to the margins of cities.
What we need is planned urbanization, planned housing, and environmentally responsible development.
The cities we are building today are where future generations will live. So the question is not simply:
“How big a city are we going to build?”
The question should be:
“How livable a city are we leaving behind?”
We want homes for people, but around those homes we also need clean air, water, trees, natural light, safe roads, employment opportunities, and a dignified life. Let housing be a human right. Let cities be part of nature. Let this be the guiding vision for the cities of tomorrow.
Shafiqul Islam Khokon is a
columnist and a researcher.
