Members’ Publication

Landslides significantly threaten human life, infrastructure, and environmental balance. In the hilly regions of Bangladesh, including Sylhet and Rangamati, landslides are frequent, causing 727 deaths and 1017 injuries between 2000 and 2018. The northeastern section of Bangladesh is projected to receive over 500–600 mm of precipitation in 2023, breaking records over the past 122 years, according to the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). With an elevation range of 0 to 195 m above sea level and 18% of its total land area covered by water bodies, Rangamati is particularly vulnerable to landslides. Despite the devastating impact of landslides, susceptibility assessment and risk management strategies are lacking. This research aims to address this gap by developing a comprehensive framework for sustainable landslide risk mitigation using geostatistical and geospatial modeling techniques. Factors such as land use and land cover (LULC), elevation, slope, topographic wetness index (TWI), precipitation, lithology, soil type, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and distance from roads are used to create a frequency ratio (FR) model and identify landslide susceptibility and risk zones. The resulting high-resolution landslide susceptibility map (LSM) and risk assessment models provide valuable insights for policymakers, land-use planners, and stakeholders involved in disaster risk reduction and sustainable development. By applying geostatistical and geospatial modeling techniques to assess landslide susceptibility, manage risk, and promote sustainability, this research enhances resilience to landslides and highlights the importance of proactive planning and informed decision-making in mitigating the impact of landslides for promoting sustainable development in hilly regions.

This professional report investigates the drivers, processes, and consequences of sand-filling in developing housing real estate in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It examines its implications for the city's environmental sustainability and urban governance. Through a qualitative research approach relying on documentary analysis and case study methods, the study reveals a complex interplay of colonial legacies, political-economic interests, and institutional weaknesses shaping Dhaka's unsustainable and inequitable sand-filling and housing development patterns. The report highlights these practices' significant environmental and socio-economic impacts on the city's hydrology, ecology, and marginalized communities. It analyzes the gaps and challenges in the existing institutional and regulatory frameworks governing these processes. The report identifies potential strategies for addressing the challenges of sand-filling and promoting sustainable housing development in Dhaka, emphasizing the need for officially delineating watershed boundaries, developing government databases, providing accessible information through geo-portals, and adopting innovative planning approaches such as the "Dhaka Nexus" and "terraqueous planning." It also underscores the importance of considering the broader context of Dhaka's rapid population growth and geographical constraints in addressing these issues, discussing the need for increased housing density, polycentric regional development, and context-specific strategies that prioritize hydrological infrastructure and social equity. The study contributes to advancing the knowledge of urban transformation, environmental sustainability, and social justice in the context of rapid urbanization and colonial legacies in the Global South.

Focusing on the context of Bangladesh, this discussion paper explores the potential of agrivoltaics for unlocking co-benefits of clean energy, GHG reduction and better livelihood potentials in rural areas of Bangladesh. In alignment to the Government of Bangladesh’s vision for net-zero transition and established policies, the paper underlines the current efforts on low carbon development. Highlighting the challenges being faced in realizing the desired results, the symbiotic use of agricultural lands to simultaneously yield food and solar energy, commonly referred to as ‘agrivoltaics’, has been recommended for realizing local/national clean energy transition. In reference to the irrigation landscape of Bangladesh and the system requirement for agrivoltaics, the agrivoltaic potentials in Bangladesh has also been estimated under two scenarios: 40% Target vs Net-Zero Target. Towards the end, the co-benefits for different stakeholders are highlighted alongside the way forward.

The urbanization pace in Bangladesh has surged, resulting in rapid population growth,infrastructure strains, and heightened environmental degradation, exacerbated by vulnerabilityto natural disasters and climate change. Urban resilience, vital for cities to withstand, adapt,and recover from shocks while maintaining essential functions, is crucial amid thesechallenges. This paper explores urban resilience in Bangladesh, merging urban planning anddevelopment studies perspectives. Drawing from diverse disciplines such as disaster riskreduction and sustainability, a comprehensive theoretical framework is constructed. Challengeslike inadequate infrastructure and poverty offer opportunities for innovative resilience-buildingapproaches, including community-based adaptation initiatives. Case studies like the KhulnaCity Waterlogging Project and the Urban Community Resilience Assessment in Dhakademonstrate the transformative potential of interdisciplinary collaboration. Policy implicationsencompass integrating disaster risk reduction into urban planning, strengthening localgovernance, promoting sustainable infrastructure, and fostering stakeholder collaboration.Implementing these strategies can enhance urban resilience in Bangladesh, mitigating risksposed by urbanization, environmental hazards, and climate change impacts.

Urbanization is a defining feature of the 21st century, with Bangladesh experiencing rapidurban growth, particularly in its capital city, Dhaka. As urban areas expand, effective urbanplanning becomes crucial for ensuring sustainable development and addressing challengesrelated to infrastructure, housing, transportation, and environmental degradation. Monitoringand Evaluation (M&E) are essential tools in urban planning processes, providing feedback onproject implementation, assessing impact, and guiding decision-making. However, inBangladesh, the integration of M&E in urban planning faces challenges such as limitedinstitutional capacity, data deficiencies, and inadequate stakeholder engagement. This articleexplores the current state of M&E integration in urban planning in Bangladesh, identifieschallenges and gaps, and proposes strategies for improvement. By enhancing M&E integration,Bangladesh can maximize the impact and sustainability of urban development initiatives,ultimately building inclusive, resilient, and sustainable cities for future generations.

The economic circumstance of Bangladesh is crucial for the attainment of its development objectives, as globalization has prompted apprehensions regarding regional development. Bangladesh, the second-largest economy in South Asia, is currently ranked 35th in nominal GDP and 25th in nominal GDP based on purchasing power parity. The country's GDP increased by 5.82 percent in 2023-24, compared to 5.78 percent in 2022-23. The purpose of this investigation is to determine the formal regions of Bangladesh concerning their economic circumstances and to identify the factors that either promote or hinder economic development in different districts. The research was analysed across 64 districts using the Composite Weighted Index Method, which considered both economic and non-economic factors such as remittance inflow, literacy rate, solvency head count ratio (HCR), bank deposit, and employment rate. The study analysed key economic indicators such as employment, income, revenue, budget allocation, infrastructural development, educational opportunities, and healthcare facilities. It found a loop connectivity between government revenue, budget allocation, employment, and income across different districts, which is crucial for overall economic growth. This allows policymakers to more effectively allocate resources and to personalize interventions, thereby facilitating targeted efforts to stimulate economic growth. The findings can be a source of help for future policy decisions and contribute to the nation's development objectives.