Where do you get the best city views from the metro rail? For me, it is certainly the green and watery western side of Uttara. Then comes the stretch from Agargaon to Bijoy Sarani, with the open space of the old airport and the relatively low-density areas around Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University and the National Parliament House. And, of course, the brief but beautiful view of Dhaka University.
What makes these views special? Not just the buildings, but the breathing space between them.
In a well-planned city, you do not simply build buildings. You preserve open land, trees, wetlands, parks and public spaces where people can walk, breathe, meet, play and do absolutely nothing. A city should not demand that every inch of land generate economic returns. But beyond a few remaining green spaces and institutional areas, where is the land available to ordinary citizens for greenery, water bodies, public parks or simply an open stretch of ground?
We are struggling to build more concrete walls, install more air conditioners, consume more energy and emit more carbon. We are replacing natural cooling systems with mechanical ones, then paying the price through electricity bills, heat and pollution. This might sound rude or selfish, but we are literally digging our own grave.
Dhaka has a rich history stretching back centuries, and its muslin was once renowned around the world. Yet look at the city we are building today.
Dhaka ranked 171st out of 173 cities in the Economist Intelligence Unit's 2025 Global Liveability Index, making it the third least liveable city in that assessment. Meanwhile, the World Bank's 2024 environmental analysis reported that air pollution, unsafe water, poor sanitation and hygiene, and lead exposure collectively cause more than 272,000 premature deaths annually in Bangladesh. These are not just statistics; they are a reminder of the price we pay for neglecting our living environment.
The disappearance of canals and wetlands, the endless excavation of roads during the monsoon, the burden of traffic, poor waste management and the deterioration of air quality are leaving a lasting impact on everyone who lives here and takes the next breath.
Living a peaceful life should not be a luxury. Yet in Dhaka, it often feels like a privilege reserved for those who can afford to escape its worst conditions.
After midnight, you might hear loudspeakers from a neighbourhood event. The city never truly sleeps, and its residents rarely stop running. They work to pay rent, school and tuition fees, medical bills, food expenses and transport costs. Even rest becomes something people struggle to afford.
Where are the parks for our children? Where can our elderly people walk safely, during the day or at night? Across much of the city, pavements are inadequate, obstructed or occupied by shops, vendors and parked vehicles. Certain planned neighbourhoods enjoy better walking environments, but access to clean air, safe pavements and green spaces should not depend on one's postcode or income.
The ordinary resident deserves the same dignity.
Dhaka's metro rail offers a glimpse of what is possible when infrastructure connects people. But a city is not just about transport, buildings and roads. It is also about the quality of life between destinations: the trees we walk under, the water bodies we preserve, the parks where children play and the open spaces where communities come together.
And this brings me to a bigger question: Why must so much of Bangladesh's administration, investment, employment, and decision-making remain concentrated in Dhaka?
The government should seriously consider relocating the Secretariat to a suitable site farther out, within a properly planned growth corridor or an expanded Detailed Area Plan (DAP) area. Rather than shifting administrative functions from one congested part of Dhaka to another, we should use this opportunity to rethink how the capital grows.
But relocation must not become another excuse to destroy wetlands, clear green land or build a new administrative island surrounded by congestion. It should be supported by public transport, housing, environmental safeguards and essential services.
More importantly, moving the Secretariat alone will not decentralize Bangladesh. Government agencies, businesses, universities, healthcare facilities and employment opportunities must gradually become more geographically distributed. Other cities need the investment and infrastructure to become attractive places to live and work. People should not have to move to Dhaka simply to access a decent job, quality education or specialised healthcare.
We do not need to choose between development and nature. We need development that understands the value of public space, protects our natural environment and recognizes the limits of a city that keeps absorbing people, capital and opportunities without creating enough room for life.
Dhaka has a history worth protecting and a future worth fighting for. Those green and open stretches visible from the metro should not remain beautiful exceptions in an increasingly concrete city. They should remind us of what we still have and what we must protect.
Bangladesh is too centralized around Dhaka. It is time to expand opportunities beyond the capital, and preserve the remaining breathing.
Arif Hossain is the Executive Director of Farming Future Bangladesh and Regional Head of Asia at WePlanet International. He is a former Visiting Fellow at Cornell University and a Global Fellow at Michigan State University. Email: [email protected]
