Abstract:
River Buriganga and canals around Dhaka played a strategic role in the flourishing of
trade and commerce after the establishment as a provincial capital by the Mughals.
The use of the Buriganga Riverbank was enormously extensive. In 1864, the
Buckland Bund was constructed in Sadarghat area which included a promenade to
beautify the waterfront and this became an important public place of the city.
Unfortunately, Buriganga Riverfront gradually began to lose its importance. The non
execution of planning proposal of Dhaka also contributed to the deterioration of the
Riverfront. Today the Riverfront is in a sorrow state. Inaccessibility due to
encroachment and lack of proper road network made the area as the back of the city
where the openness of the river is blocked by solid walls. Dhaka severely lacks in
public spaces and urban amenities where people can spend quality time with friends
and family. Being surrounded by rivers on all side, Dhaka is most unfortunate for not
having a Riverfront of which the citizen can be proud of. Actually the edges of Dhaka
have been considered the backside of the city and remained neglected. Buriganga
Riverfront has the potentials of providing that much needed public space if the
Riverfront uses can be regulated and redesigned through proper planning.
This study examines the issues that are responsible for the deterioration of the
Riverfront and tries to find out what are the perceptions of people about the
Riverfront use. Data has been collected for understanding the actual condition of the
Riverbank and to get the perception of the citizen about their views and what are their
expectations regarding redevelopment of the Buriganga Riverfront. It is felt that
people want the Riverfront as an asset to themselves with public amenities where all
can gather to celebrate life. This thesis aimed to give guidelines for starting of a
renewed redeveloped Buriganga Riverfront considering the perception of the people.
