ABSTRACT
The role of cities in enhancing economic growth has inspired pro-urbanization policies in many less developed countries including Bangladesh. Major factors favoring the demographic shift toward rapid urbanization include economic efficiency due to the agglomeration benefits of cities, surplus labor due to the productivity rise in agriculture, enhanced value in urban industrial and service sectors vis-à-vis rural agriculture and people’s preference for urban amenities. However, due to the diversity and magnitude of unaddressed social and environmental issues, urbanization falls short of being an adequate marker of progress by itself. Urban primacy with a disproportionately high concentration of population in Dhaka, market failure stemming from inadequate state mechanisms, pressures of the global economy, the disconnection of common citizens from urban management decisions and inadequate understanding of emerging urbanism top the chart of major obstacles in this regard. This chapter presents a brief overview of the history, current state and future potential and challenges of urbanization in Bangladesh.
