Proposals for Image Reconstruction and Urban Regeneration: The Case of Khulna City, Bangladesh

Abstract

Among the oldest cities of Bangladesh, that represents precious glories and remarkable heritage, Khulna is one placed on top. During the colonial period especially in the late 17th century AD, Khulna was given the attention to be developed as the riverfront business center of the East part of grater Bangle. The land use pattern of Khulna city has been substantially influenced by river flow of Rupsha and a spinal road network, which makes the city growth linear with a major commercial, administrative and residential zone. But lately unlike the other cities of the world, Khulna failed to adopt the process of transformation of its traditional urban structures into a dynamic shape to cope with the urge of the modern day functionality. Riverfront remains neglected back side of the city, only attends as a service corridor. Examining these experiences of Khulna, the paper attempts to acknowledge the historical past and through them to regain the lost connection to the city. Following the timeline, different master plans have been analyzed to understand and identify the characteristics of city transformation and how such detachments developed with the river Rupsha. Based on the outcome a conceptual framework is proposed to recreate connectivity with the river to make a new public realm alongside the riverbank which may help to recreate Khulna as a riverfront city.

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Proceedings of the International Conference on 'Cities, People and Places'- ICCPP-2015
October 26th –27th, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka
1
Proposals for Image Reconstruction and Urban
Regeneration: The Case of Khulna City,
Bangladesh
Shaila, Islam and Istiaque, Ahmed
Dhaka University of Engineering & Technology, Gazipur, Bangladesh
Abstract
Among the oldest cities of Bangladesh, that represents precious glories and
remarkable heritage, Khulna is one placed on top. During the colonial period
especially in the late 17th century AD, Khulna was given the attention to be
developed as the river front business centre of the East part of grater Bangle.
The land use pattern of Khulna city has been substantially influenced by river
flow of Rupsha and a spinal road network, which makes the city growth linear
with major commercial, administrative and residential zone. But lately unlike
the other cities of the world Khulna failed to adopt the process of
transformation of its traditional urban structures into a dynamic shape to cope
with the urge of the modern day functionality. River front remains neglected
back side of the city, only attends as a service corridor. Examining these
experiences of Khulna, the paper attempts to acknowledge the historical past
and through them to regain the lost connection to the city. Following the
timeline, different master plans have been analyzed to understand and
identify the characteristics of city transformation and how such detachments
developed with the river Rupsha. Based on the outcome a conceptual
framework is proposed to recreate connectivity with the river to make a new
public realm alongside the riverbank which may help to recreate Khulna as a
riverfront city.
Keywords: Riverfront, City Transformation, Regeneration, Khulna.
Introduction
Khulna is the third largest thriving city of Bangladesh and surrounded by picturesque
countryside, winding rivers, and a host of development centres. Since partition of British India in
1947, the city has been growing up as an important complex of trade, commerce and industries.
The spatial growth pattern of Khulna followed two guiding parameters – topography and
communication route. Traditionally industrial and commercial development along river Rupsha
and Bhairab shaped the linear form of the city. The CBD of Khulna City (Central Business District)
was also founded beside the bank of those rivers since the first master plan worked out in 1961.
Waterway or riverfront always attained high priority in every mode of transportation and the
 Corresponding Author: Shaila Islam; E-mail- ar.shaila@duet.ac.bd

Proceedings of the International Conference on 'Cities, People and Places'- ICCPP-2015
October 26th –27th, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka
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purpose was served by small dockyards which are locally known as ‘Ghats’(small dockyards). In
general, a waterfront is the zone of interaction between urban developments and the water and
a waterfront area is considered as a unique and irreplaceable resource where it is the interface
between land, water, air, sun and productive plants (Wrenn, 1983). Moreover, Zhang (2002)
characterized the waterfront as a place integrating land with water and having a natural
attraction to people. In fact, the seashore and riverfront are the most attractive water features
for human settlement and, in most countries; the land in front of water is developed earlier
than the inland areas. But lately Khulna failed to cope up with the urge of the modern day
functionality due to various political and economic reasons. It lost the characteristics of a
riverfront city and in this specific point the main research question of this paper comes out
which is – “What should be the planning considerations and possible ways of recreating Khulna
as a riverfront city again?” In this concern the study attempts to investigate two interrelated
issues – 1) Recognizing historical past of a present day city; and 2) Recreating the lost
connection of the city and river.
Background History of City Transformation
The river bank of Khulna city formed basically in 3 distinct phases which were Colonial period,
Post-colonial period (East Pakistan) and Independent Bangladesh (till today). Almost 200 years
old historical city Khulna was originated as a market town and seat of administration.
Commercial farming was developed gradually over subsisting farming and the core products
were indigo, jute and sugarcane. As river way was a suitable rout for transporting goods those
days, a city, which is present Khulna, developed to facilitate a focal point in 1800, the time
steamer service was first introduced. After declaring Khulna as Mohokuma (Subdivision) in 1842,
Boro bazar, present CBD of Khulna city was shifted to the present day’s location on the river side
of Rupsha. Several ghats developed gradually (1850-1947) supporting Boro Bazaar and for river
crossing like Delta ghat, Kali Bari ghat, Kachery ghat etc. On that time Kolkata was declared as
capital as it served as a colonial port to supply the raw materials to England. Khulna city became
a place of communication and business purpose between Bengal and Kolkata. In 1884 the British
introduced railway for better transportation but they never rejected the river way. River way
remained the primary circulation as the railway and roadway were secondary and tertiary
circulation line respectively. Raw materials were brought to Khulna by river from different
region of East-Bengal and then taken to Kolkata by rail. This is how trade, commerce and
industry started to develop Khulna. Gradually along with administrative and residential facilities
other community and recreational facilities developed there as well. Slowly the city started to
expand and the expansion was based on the riverbank as we can find it from historical data and
maps. Not only the commercial activities but recreational facilities started to grow up respecting
on the riverbank. Panshi ghat, Forest ghat are the clear examples as those ghats were
intentionally created for recreational purpose.
After the end of Colonial period, Khulna has been experiencing rapid urbanization and
tremendous rise of population since 1950s. Non Bengali Muslim business man invested on
business because of the potentiality of location. Several jute mills developed at that time and
also the 2nd largest port of Bangladesh “Chalna port” (present Mongla port) was established in
1950. City was gradually expanded from southeast to northwest with the linear direction of river
Rupsha and its branch, river Bhairab. Some other ghats, locally familiar as 4, 5, 6 no. ghats, were
created to serve Mongla port as a collection point of raw materials. Mongla port colony was
developed beside 7 no. ghat (also known as Roosevelt Jetty) which also supported the
administrative purpose. This period was the peak of Khulna’s development.

Proceedings of the International Conference on 'Cities, People and Places'- ICCPP-2015
October 26th –27th, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka
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Fig. 1: Chronological development of Khulna city.
Source: Khulna Development Authority (KDA)
After 1971 in the independent Bangladesh, non-Bengali Muslim businessmen went back to
Pakistan. Almost all the jute mills of Khulna were nationalized as State Owned Enterprises (SOE)
with an aim to strengthen the industry’s contribution to the national socio-economic
development. However, the political instability and corruption results the rapid decline of the
industries and business men shifted to other places like Nowapara or capital Dhaka. With the
declination of the industry Mongla Port remain less vibrant as well as it’s supporting ghats.
Moreover, communication by road got more priority that started the declination of river way
and ghats.
Re-generating the River belt: Concept and Context
Most of the cities of developing countries are experiencing a period of enormous socio-
economic transformations that call for a similarly vast process of urban regeneration and
reorientation. There already have many concepts that all, in one way or another, mean
reinventing, reforming or rebuilding the city: urban re-development, regeneration, renewal,
revitalization, re-construction, re-habilitation and so on (Kamo, 2000). Among these “re-”
concepts, urban regeneration, renewal, and renaissance are the buzzwords that have come to
characterize the key urban issues as interchangeable terms essentially relating to the same
process (Tallon, 2010). Regarding the notion of re-inventing city’s lost image and functions,
regeneration remains the most recognized and widely used term by professionals and
academicians alike.
Table 1: Dimensions of Urban Regeneration
Dimensions
Concerns
Economic
Job creation, income, employment, skills, employability, development
Social/ Cultural
Quality of life, health, education, crime housing, quality of public services
Physical/
Environmental
Infrastructure, built and natural environment, transport and
communication
Governance
Nature of local decision making, engagement of local community,
involvement of other groups

Proceedings of the International Conference on 'Cities, People and Places'- ICCPP-2015
October 26th –27th, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka
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Dimensions of urban regeneration can be broadly described as – 1) economic; 2) social and
cultural; 3) physical and environmental; and 4) governance related in nature (Table1). These
four dimensions are not mutually exclusive, but interconnected (Tallon, 2010). Successful urban
regeneration should recognize the linked nature of economic, social and environmental
problems in the context of local geographies. It implies that that the regeneration problems and
opportunities should best be considered within a spatial continuum (Robert, and Sykes, 2000).
Leading on from a discussion of the definition and characteristics of re-generation, a pertinent
question is - Why is it important to re-generate the river belt of Khulna city? Firstly, because of
the fundamental changes of the historical conditions that shaped this river front city, in
particular, the use, condition and connectivity of ghats changed during the last three decades.
And secondly, in spite of having a potential riverbank within city, Khulna city is now experiencing
a lack of urban space where people can breathe or gather. Thus, there is an urgent need to
develop innovative re generating strategies with an emphasis on the revival of ghats with its
surroundings.
Overview of the Existing Scenario
Land use: To understand the overall scenario and finding out appropriate proposal it is very
essential to have an in depth understanding of the activity pattern and land use of a certain
area. Based on the Khulna Master Plan Land Use Zoning 2010-11 map of Khulna Development
Authority (KDA) some land use zones, formed due to different user patterns, can be identified.
These zoning, their types and land use patterns are presented through the following chart-
Table 2: Land use Zoning
No.
Types of Zone
Zone Name
Land use Pattern
1
Administrative
Forest Ghat/Circuit House
Area
Administrative with
Residential
2
Commercial
Boro-Bazar/CBD Area
Commercial
3
Railway Terminal Area
Terminal Area
Terminal Area
4
Shib-Bari Area
New City Centre
Mixed Use
5
Port Colony Area
Mongla Port Colony Area
Open Space

Proceedings of the International Conference on 'Cities, People and Places'- ICCPP-2015
October 26th –27th, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka
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Fig. 2: Location of ghats with adjacent land use
Source: author
Physical Condition: Physically the river bank is almost inaccessible physically even visually there
is no essence that it is a riverfront city. The road network that leads towards the river is either
blocked or occupied.
Fig. 3: Physical condition of ghats
Source: author
Connectivity: The ghats were connected through Bhairab stand road alongside of river. By the
time being Bhairab stand road was extended from south to north connecting the CBD and
steamer ghat with the new port supportive ghats (like 5, 6, 7 no. ghat). With the declination of
economic growth, the connections among the ghats disrupted. Some areas are handful by the
local powerful person and they are developing ghats anywhere without any planning
consideration. Several ghats either went dead or previous pattern of use got changed.
User Pattern: In the river belt too much variety of activities can be found that the development
is extremely unplanned, unpleasant and quite objectionable. In past these variations were there
in an organized manner, the use of riverside developed regarding the necessity of adjacent city
areas that is why a relationship between land and river existed.

Proceedings of the International Conference on 'Cities, People and Places'- ICCPP-2015
October 26th –27th, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka
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Fig. 4: Different pattern of using ghats
Source: author
Environmental Aspects: Number of drainage outlets (both water waste & solid waste) is exposed
to river Rupsha directly polluting the water. On the other hand river erosion is occurred in
various places because of lack of proper strategies.
Fig. 5: Environmental condition of ghats
Source: author
Sectional Analysis of Land use
In the sectional analysis the river belt of Khulna city were divided in five different segments
which have been previously mentioned in the land use study. The areas which have been
considered here for sectional analysis include every type of land use pattern found in the land
use map that is why the following sectional lines are defined for the analysis-

Proceedings of the International Conference on 'Cities, People and Places'- ICCPP-2015
October 26th –27th, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka
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Table 3: Section Lines with Zones
Section Lines
Types of Zone
Land use Pattern
1. Section A-A’
Administrative
Administrative with Residential
2. Section B-B’
Commercial
Commercial
3. Section C-C’
Railway Terminal Area
Terminal Area
4. Section D-D’
Shib-Bari Area
Mixed Use
5. Section E-E’
Port Colony Area
Open Space
In this sectional analysis both primary and secondary data were equally evaluated. As maps and
other authentic demographic information were used and physical survey were also conducted
and data recorded in parallel to get more detailed picture of the existing land use condition.
Fig. 6: Sectional lines on Khulna Master Plan Land Use Zoning map 2010-11
Source: Khulna Development Authority (KDA)

Proceedings of the International Conference on 'Cities, People and Places'- ICCPP-2015
October 26th –27th, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka
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Fig. 7: Sectional Analysis in Five Defined Points
Source: author

Proceedings of the International Conference on 'Cities, People and Places'- ICCPP-2015
October 26th –27th, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka
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Based on this sectional analysis the overall scenario of different land use zones are compared for
a comprehensive understanding.
Fig. 8: River Front Land use Comparison of Khulna City
Source: author
Findings
From the background study and present day analysis it is clear that the ghats played major role
connecting city life with the river. Historically we found there were dedicated ghats for trade,
transportation, recreation and even for religious purpose. What happened is that, when road
network got the priority these traditional practices started to fade as detachment developed
between people and river. Slowly Bhairab Stand Road, a vibrant road developed to support the
river belt activities, was closed and every ghat turned into dead ends. All the findings can be
summed up under following issues -
River and the city connectivity: There has been a significant change in infrastructure as in the
present situation river is used as a service corridor. Where in past, waterway was considered as
main mode of transportation, but at present by road transportation has the major priority
neglecting the potential riverbank aside. Thus the river and city morphology drastically changed
and the detachment came prominent day by day.
Less public accessibility: There is hardly any accessibility found at the riverbank in present
situation. The major portion of it is occupied commercially (Boro-Bazar with surroundings),
some are restricted for public and other vacant open spaces do not offer any interest to visit.
Because of lack of public accessibility many informal settlements and crime zones are
developing in those areas.
Unplanned development: Various types of unplanned developments are illegally occupying the
riverbank gradually. Specially in the CBD area the situation is worst. Previously there were fixed
three ghats that served the whole commercial district, but hundreds of ghats can be found at
present this arbitrary development ruined the previous commercial fabric of Bara-Bazar or CBD

Proceedings of the International Conference on 'Cities, People and Places'- ICCPP-2015
October 26th –27th, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka
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area. This Boro-Bazar is the oldest commercial place of Khulna city and has historical value as
well which is declining day by day due to unplanned development.
Environmental degradation: Environmentally the riverbank is in worse situation as it is treated
as a drainage purpose. So many garbage or waste water outlets can be found along with the
river that is making the river filthy and polluted.
Visual attractions: Besides of many major problems. still there are many potentials of this
Bhairab River belt. Along with this river so many varieties of activities or interest can be found if
properly maintained like past. For example, in Zone 1 (Section AA’) many historical building of
British colonial period can be found, in Zone 2 (Section BB’) one of the oldest market of the
region can be experienced, in Zone 3 (Section CC’) it is the water root gateway of the city, in
Zone 4 (Section DD’) from the new city centre and new market there is an opportunity to link it
up with the adjacent riverbank and in Zone 5 (Section DD’) large ships and other river port
activities can be enjoyed.
Potential open spaces: If we see from the sectional analysis there are some very potential open
spaces are present but due to lack of planning they are being occupied by floating peoples as
they are developing informal settlements there and also being misused in different means.
Proposals
To understand it is most important to have public access in any urban space to make it work; the
space must offer some activity as well, it may be social, economic, cultural or anything. In this
study various activates can be found in separate zones of riverbank which already has been
explained, but what is necessary is to connect all these things and creating a continuous trail of
different ghats with sequential interest. There are vacant land available in some points can be
turned in to a community space or park that might work as a public realm and also create
attachment with the river Bhairab. This 2/3 Km trail will connect historical Forest Ghat/Circuit
House Area with the oldest market Boro-Bazar with the terminal area, where people entering
the city, with the newly created community park with the port colony area. Thus the whole river
belt will be so vibrant and every part of it will be secure and safe protected from any type of
illegal occupancy. Regarding the issues identified in the previous section, the proposal and
recommendations are-
Table 4: Recommendations for the Riverbank
Zone/Section
Issues
Recommendations
Proposal
Section A-A’
Restricted Area
Historical Buildings
Old Heritage
Historical Buildings and
Forest Ghat should be
opened for public.
Creating continues
trail of ghats with
sequential interest
connecting all the
points.
Section B-B’
Illegal Occupancy
Arbitrary Development
Oldest commercial centre
To control the arbitrary
development some define
commercial points need to
develop where ghats will be
located and through the

Proceedings of the International Conference on 'Cities, People and Places'- ICCPP-2015
October 26th –27th, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka
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interconnected street goods
will be distributed and thus
Boro-Bazar would be
oriented facing the river side.
Section C-C’
City Entry Gateway
Vacant Open Space
Respecting the land use
pattern the place can be
turned into rethinking
available open spaces with
the terminal.
Section D-D’
Potential Open Space
No Connection with New
City Centre
Community space in city
scale.
Section E-E’
Restricted Area
Vacant Open Space
Port Activities
Public recreation space.
If all these recommendations and proposal are also expressed through the following ‘Structure
Plan’-
Fig. 9: Proposed Structure Plan of Riverfront Development
Source: author
Conclusion
As revealed from this study, despite the present condition the riverbank of Khulna city can be
turned in to a core point of public attraction that may not generate economic benefits like past
but certainly will be very fruitful in social and cultural aspect. In order to keep pace with the
development need, revitalization of the decaying riverbank should get highest priority in order

Proceedings of the International Conference on 'Cities, People and Places'- ICCPP-2015
October 26th –27th, 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka
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to re-create the glorious past. Comprehensive re-invention policy well integrated with the urban
development plan is much crucial in this case. In this regard, this study is an attempt to
acknowledge the historical past and through them how the lost connection to the city can be
regained. In-depth study on each and every aspect is necessary along with a practical
community need and further research is suggested towards comprehensive revival of the
riverbank.

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References:
Book – single author:
Mitra, S. C. (2013) Jessore Khulnar Itihas, 2nd edn, Kolkata: Dey's Publishing.
Wrenn, D. M., Casazza, J., Smart, E. (1983) Urban Waterfront Development, UK: Urban Land Institute.
Tallon, A. (2010) Urban Regeneration in the UK, New York: Routledge.
Khulna Development Authority (KDA) (2000) Structure Plan Master Plan and Detailed Area Plan for Khulna
City, Vol-1, Dhaka: Ministry of Public Works, Government of People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
Website documents:
Banglapedia - the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (2015), Khulna District, viewed 12 August 2015,
http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Main_Page.
Conference paper:
Kamo, T. (2000) ‘Reinventing Tokyo: renewing city image, built environment, and governance system
towards the 21st century’: Proceedings of the International Confere4nce on Re-inventing Global Cities,
Hong Kong, November 11.
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