URP_4175
R ESETTLEMENT P LANNING
Md. Manjur Morshed, Lecturer
Department of Urban and Regional Planning Khulna University of Engineering and Technology
Lecture 5: Resettlement and Housing
I MPORTANCE OF H OUSING
Dhaka- 11th mega-city, 25 million by the year 2025
At least 100,000 household units every year are required
Population density of 27,700 people per square kilometre
3.4 million people in the city live in slums
Housing: illegal, informal and inadequate
Housing supply is constrained by the shortage of land supply
Land price in Dhaka city is higher than major cities in the US
Dhaka-dwellers spend 35-45% of their income on house rent
About 22% of the total new real-estate is empty
Q. What are the major housing issues of Khulna City? What and where is the slum problem in Khulna? How this problem is tackled by the local government?
G OVERNMENT C ONTRIBUTION TO H OUSING
Non-Development and Development Budget of Fiscal Year 2013-14
Q. Why and how is government investment in housing reduced?
G OVERNMENT C ONTRIBUTION TO H OUSING
International Housing Policies
Phase 1: 1970s ~
• Housing is the responsibility of the govt.
• Govt. Provision of housing and urban services
• E.g., social housing, land banking
Phase 2: 1980s ~
• Demand high & affordability low
• Govt. Still plays central role in housing
• E.g., sites-and-services, slum upgrading
• Affordability, accessibility and replicability
Phase 3: 1990s (neoliberalism) ~
• Govt. Strategy to housing failed
• Reasons: financial incapacity, corruption, population
• Roll-back of state (in education, housing)
• Enable the land and housing market
• Cut public subsidy
• Enable other sectors, e.g., GB, BRAC, etc.
Phase 3: 2000s ~
• Enabling policy no good for the poor
• Govt. provision directly to the poor
How do we understand the rise of NGOs as a secondary stakeholders?
N ATIONAL H OUSING P OLICY
The NHP, 1993 (revised in 2004 and 2008)
Subsequently annexed the recommendations of World Bank
Government intervention in an enabling capacity to remove existing impediments in the supply, transfer, and regulations of land for shelter.
The direct provision of housing is and must be the responsibility of the individual (RAJUK, 2006, 30).
C ASE S TUDY -1: S LUM AND R E - SETTLEMENT
Squatter population of Dhaka - 14% of the total in 1974.
Eviction because of:
Because of pressure on the government from the press and the more fortunate members of the society
In1975, clear 172,589 squatters from the streets and vacant lands of Dhaka.
The squatter people were dumped in three peripheral resettlement camps where virtually no preparations had been made for them (Choguill, 1993).
• A UN Mission in 1975 remarked:
“…before any action is taken to resettle or remove squatters…steps be taken with a view to developing a short-term strategy for dealing with the squatter problem”. (Ullah, 1994; Rahman, 2001, 58).
C ASE S TUDY -2: S LUM AND R E - SETTLEMENT
The Korail slum in Dhaka sits on over 0.69 km2 of government land.
Over 40,000 residents bordering wealthy neighbourhoods
In January 2012, the High Court ordered to clear the land,
In April 2012, almost 2,000 homes in Korail without advance notice
4,500 people were homeless
Protest from the residents, NGOs and citizen associations
The government had to withdraw from the total eviction plan.
Ain o Salish Kendra, petitioned to the High Court to pass an order to make sure “…the rehabilitation of the Korail slum dwellers before any eviction drive”.
The High Court passed an order to this effect, but was neglected in this case.
C ONCLUSION
Housing policy has experienced decadal shift (1970-2000)
Government is no longer the primary producer of land and housing
Market based housing – poor cannot afford the market price
Resettlement was not done in the proper manner
NGOs, citizen groups are making a difference in displacement and resettlement
Involvement of NGOs and citizen associations are important for securing citizen rights.
Questions: How housing policy changed over last decades? With reference to one/two case studies, show how NGOs are contributing to the housing right?
