Planners at their third International Conference on Urban and Regional Planning (ICURP 2023) adopted a ‘Dhaka Declaration’ for advancing sustainable development for a resilient future on the concluding day of the three-day meet on Monday.
The Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) organized the conference with the theme "Spatial Planning for Sustainable Development - Achieving National and Global Goals.”
Through the Dhaka Declaration, they highlighted the essential role of urban, regional and rural planning in achieving Bangladesh’s global and national targets, as well as the translation of these at city, rural and community levels.
“This declaration will support achieving the status of a middle-income country by 2026, as well as that of a developed country by 2041. We appreciate the commitment of the Government of Bangladesh to foster spatial planning for sustainable urban development.”
The declaration includes:
1. Delivering a Spatial Planning Framework for Bangladesh: We endorse the need for a Spatial Planning Framework for Bangladesh as the foundational pillar for our shared vision of sustainable urban development in Bangladesh.
2. Aligning with Global Commitments: We affirm the importance of aligning our actions with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the New Urban Agenda, the Paris Agreement, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, recognizing these as the compass to guide our journey towards a sustainable future.
3. Spatial Planning Guides Development Initiatives: We advocate for a paradigm shift towards placing comprehensive spatial planning at the forefront of development initiatives to ensure we embark on specific projects with a strategic lens.
4. Strategic Planning Informs Projects: We affirm that Perspective Plan 2041 should guide project selection to ensure that projects align with long-term sustainability goals, optimizes resource allocation, and minimizes the risk of fragmented or unsustainable development.
5. Integration and Prosperity: We underscore the importance of integrating urban, rural, and community planning into national policies, and plan including the Perspective Plan 2041, 8th Five Year Plan, Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100, National Adaptation Plan and My Village My Town initiative, to promote shared prosperity and climate-resilient development.
6. Transformative Mobility: We highlight the critical need for transformative mobility for our cities and regions, supported by a Strategic Transport Plan in pursuit of the goal of sustainable development.
7. Climate Resilience: Recognizing the urgency of climate change, we urge commitment to incorporating climate-resilient strategies into spatial planning and design.
8. Prioritizing Affordable Housing: We recognize the urgency of meeting housing needs and affirm our commitment to the strategic development of appropriate and affordable housing solutions for all.
9. Critical Infrastructure: We emphasize the importance of investing in critical economic and social infrastructure to enhance living conditions for all, fostering inclusive, sustainable, and thriving communities.
10. Ensuring Environmental Health: We acknowledge the paramount importance of environmental health in urban and regional planning and commit to integrating measures that safeguard and enhance environmental health, ensuring clean air, water, sanitation, and green spaces for the well-being of our communities. (The city needs parks, open spaces, and green areas for its citizens. This statement is not clear. They can provide clearer messages.)
11. Collaboration and Capacity Building: We emphasize the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration and capacity building among urban planners, policymakers, and local authorities to ensure informed decision-making and effective implementation (In this declaration, I feel that addressing pro-poor issues, inclusive development and vulnerable group is missing. Strengthening of the urban local government is missing.).
12. Ecological Construction Transition (ECT): We are convinced that the tremendous construction and infrastructure efforts necessary for sustainable and climate resilient cities and rural areas can and have to be made by a transformation of the buildings and construction sector in a way that preserves resources, is climate-friendly, social and just, by shifting to ecological construction materials and generally nature based solutions as well as ensuring living wages and workplace safety for the people building our cities and infrastructures.