Abstract
Public open space is an essential structuring landscape element and is a pivotal point for the civic social system in a city. Unplanned urbanization and densification are often deemed responsible for the disappearance of public open spaces in Dhaka. Since 1960, as one of the fastest-growing megacities, Dhaka faces continuous destruction of open spaces that includes seven vulnerabilities: water, riparian areas, parks, vacant lands, green areas, greenways, and ecological reserves. To ensure sustainable growth along with proper functioning of ecosystems, foster social cohesion and public health, there is an urgent need to assess shifts in Dhaka's landscape - by re-evaluating the interaction between Dhaka's Public space and the urbanization of its natural landscape. Therefore, this article explores historical avenues of Dhaka's natural-urban metamorphosis through urban mapping and cartographic exploration to understand the transformation of public open spaces over time. This way, the aim is to identify future potentials for preserving nature and strengthening the role of public open space and its manifold uses through unfolding the hidden layers of history.
Highlights
Cities are composed of multiple layers of history - partly hidden, partly visible in their current urban form
This study examines the changing relationships within three elements of a settlement throughout history: natural landscape, city, and public open space embedded within ecology, economy, and society
The city was born from the River Buriganga, yet the city ignored the reality of being part of the most dynamic hydrological system of Bengal Delta by turning its back to the river
Summary
Cities are composed of multiple layers of history - partly hidden, partly visible in their current urban form. Each of those layers is the result of a continuous transformation of five critical elements: environment, culture, society, ecology, and economy. Due to unplanned growth of urban landscape over natural landscape - tensions and conflict arise from the stark difference between the availability and need for qualitative open space. These conflicts are tightly bound up with the disappearance and mismanagement of landscape elements such as parks, forests, water bodies, canals, civic spaces.
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