Members’ Publication

Medium-sized coastal cities in deltaic environments face unique urbanization challenges constrained by fluvial erosion and climate hazards, yet remain underexplored compared to major metropolitan regions. This study addresses this gap by quantifying the spatiotemporal interplay between urban expansion and population dynamics in Barishal, Bangladesh, a climate-vulnerable coastal city where physical constraints fundamentally shape growth patterns. Using Landsat 5 and 8 imageries with sensor-specific NDBI thresholding validated through Otsu and ROC methods, combined with gridded population data from WorldPop, this study analyzed urban development patterns from 2000 to 2020. Built-up area increased from 198.05 km² to 241.49 km², while population rose from 366,284 to 433,623, with classification accuracy exceeding 89.8% (Kappa > 0.80) across all periods. Land consumption ratio declined substantially between 2000 and 2010 during severe riverbank erosion episodes, with negative UE/GLCR ratios in 2005–2010 and 2015–2020 indicating densification patterns amid constrained horizontal growth. These findings reveal how environmental barriers drive alternative urban growth forms, informing critical policy needs for urban growth boundary controls, zoning overlays for erosion-vulnerable zones, and infrastructure resilience planning. This research provides evidence-based spatial and demographic essential for sustainable urban planning in hundreds of similarly constrained deltaic cities worldwide facing intensifying climate pressures.

Rapid urbanization exerts a substantial influence on crucial traffic variables, including the escalating number of automobiles, the capacity of urban highways, and the level of service rendered, impacting several transportation sectors. An effective traffic management system is crucial for facilitating the swift and safe transportation of people, goods, and vehicles. The current road infrastructure is insufficient to handle the anticipated traffic demands of any metropolis without effective planning and traffic management. Therefore, obtaining a deep understanding of the extent of the traffic is a vital component of the traffic control system. This study intends to assess the traffic patterns and variety of transport modes, as well as identify the Level of Service (LOS) at the Aam Chottor intersection of Rajshahi City Corporation, whose purpose is to gain an understanding of the traffic patterns in this area. The volume of different types of traffic has been resolved by converting different vehicles into equivalent passenger cars and calculating the volume in terms of passenger car units (PCUs) per hour of both motorized and non-motorized vehicles. The methods that are used to find the Level of Service (LOS) are based on finding the Passenger Car Units (PCUs) each hour which counts the V/C Ratio and Peak Hour Factor (PHF) which shows LOS-C for Monday (Weekday) and LOS-B for Friday (Weekend). The study finds that auto rickshaws and motorcycles are dominant vehicles during peak and off-peak hours, while cycle rickshaws and carts are found in low numbers. Therefore, the research has the potential to enhance the efficiency and efficacy of roads and offer valuable insights for the development of future infrastructure.

Public-private partnership (PPP)-led infrastructure development has been crucial in China as it has in many other countries. However, several obstacles in the field tend to challenge its development. Based on survey responses from PPP practitioners and professionals in Hong Kong and mainlandChina,thisstudyanalyzesandranksthekeybarrierstoPPPprojects. Ourfindingssuggest that both groups classify the critical obstacles to PPP consistently, albeit with some divergences in ranking them. Reflecting mainly from the perspective of professionals, the study also proposes some suggestions for mitigating these obstacles, so it could contribute to the effective formulation of PPP and successful implementation of PPP-led infrastructure projects in China as well as elsewhere.

Savar, one of the suburbs of Dhaka is undergoing tremendous development due to rapid urbanisation. Better access due to Dhaka Aricha Highway integrating with the development process has led augmentation of ribbon development. This type of development is very much attractive to developers in the sense that they do not have to waste money or plot space for constructing roads and can attract trade from the traffic on arterial roads. But the emergence of fringe zones and their complex, as well as unplanned ribbon development along Dhaka Aricha Highway, has led to serious land use problems such as haphazard urban growth, loss of agricultural lands, encroachment of water bodies, unauthorised urban sprawl, the rapid increase in land values, speculation in land and other related problems. Besides, the option for future planned development and provision of service along the Dhaka Aricha Highway is being jeopardized. In this consequence, this study attempts to focus on the trend of ribbon development along Dhaka-Aricha Highway to show the impact on the land use. To assess the trend in land use change, satellite image of four base years (2007, 2010, 2013 and 2016) of the study area were analysed by Geographical Information System (GIS) tool. Finally, a number of recommendations have been formulated to reduce the adverse impact of ribbon development.

Industrialization is a key driver of economic development. Despite its potential in northern Bangladesh, especially in Kamarkhanda upazila, the region faces challenges like underutilized resources, unorganized industries, and a lack of strategic planning. Tools such as forward and backward linkages and economic zones remain underexploited. Moreover, natural hazards like floods are often ignored in zoning decisions. This study aims to identify suitable industries and safe locations for sustainable industrial growth, incorporating industry linkages and disaster risk factors such as floods and earthquakes. An Input-Output model was applied to analyze industry linkages, and a GIS-based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) was used to select optimal industrial sites. Data were collected through 400 household surveys based on the Yamane formula and questionnaires from 51 industries by purposive sampling as there was no data available on the government website. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to assign weights to criteria such as proximity to growth centers, markets, roads, slope, elevation, and precipitation. Findings show dairy farms have a 99.8 ​% backward linkage with agriculture, while rice mills and Shitalpati industries have 49.7 ​%, largely dependent on imports. Suitable economic zones were identified near the Dhaka-Sirajgonj highway and railway lines, as well as outside flood-prone and earthquake-risk zones. These findings support future master plans and informed policymaking for sustainable industrial development.