Metropoliton Master Plan
The first regional plan of chittagong was prepared in 1961 for an area of 549 sq. km by a British town planning consulting firm. The city extends up to 35.40 kms from north to south and 20.92 kms east to west at its widest. within the regional plan boundaries an area of approximately 259 sq kms was identified as Master plan area. Till 1999 planning activities in Chittagong governed by this 1961 Master plan. Subsequently in the context of existing situation of Chittagong, CDA took up a project, "Preparation Structure Plan, Master plan and Detailed area Plan of Chittagong", with UNDP/UNCHS financial and technical assistance in the year 1993. The new Metropolitan master plan was approved by Government of Bangladesh on the 1st of March 1999. Now the extent of new master plan' limit is 1152sq. Kilometers.
The Master plan has three major components, namely,
- Planning component
- Drainage component
- Transportation component
Planning Components
The planning component comprises three elements. These are Structure plan, Urban development plan & Detailed area plan.
Structure Plan
This is a strategic plan and it sets a long‑term development strategy for a time span of twenty years (1995‑2015) for a geographical coverage of 1154 sq kms. The structure plan indicates, structure of the metropolitan area and broad suitability of land for various uses. Encouraging growth of the city, guiding spatial development of urban areas, giving priority to meeting the needs of the poor, etc. are included in this plan.The structure plan elaborates 76 policies under 12 sectoral headings. These are, Population, Economy, Spatial development strategy, Housing, Community facilities, Transport, Infrastructure services, Flood control and drainage, Urban land development, Rural land development, Environmental quality and prestige projects.
Urban Development Plan
This plan is meant for a period of 10 years from 1995 to 2005. Its geographical coverage is existing built up urban area of Chittagong and its immediate surrounding. It sets three basic roles of the authority:
- to promote development
- to coordinate development
- to control development
The urban development plans (map) symbolically shows the infrastructure related to transport, utility services, Storm water drainage and flood control measures. It also shows the spatial distribution of land use policies.
Detailed area Plans
By elaborating the policies and proposals of both structure plan and urban development plans detailed area plans/ project plan are under preparation in order to cover the entire structure plan area by the trained personnel of the project.
Drainage Component
The city of Chittagong is about 15 krn upstream of the river mouth where the Karnaphuli river meets the Bay of Bengal. The city covers an area of small hills and narrow valleys bounded by the river Karnaphuli to the south, the coastal plain to the west and flood plain of Halda river to the east. It experiences about 3000 mm of mean annual rainfall, of which about 2400 mm fall during the normal monsoon period. As a result of urbanization ponding that used to take place in the low laying areas now occurs in urban areas. Considering physical characteristics, topography, catchment area and the routes of existing drainage channels, the urban area has been divided into 10 drainage areas.
The Master plan sets out a staged development program of stormwatere, drainage and flood control works of the above drainage area up to the year 2015 to meet the Stormwater drainage and Flood control problems.
Transportation Component
The transportation component of Chittagong Metropolitan Master plan contains a present situation report, an immediate action plan and a term development strategy for traffic and transportation. Principal recommendations of the immediate action plan (IAP) include:
- Traffic management and Engineering
- Improvement of transport services
- Institutional strengthening
Under Long Term Development Strategy (LTDS) an extensive development strategy has been undertaken for future transport planning purposes in Chittagong. The LTDS provides a Long‑term development strategy for Chittagong composed of suggested policy initiatives and an accompanying investment program. Principal recommendations of the LTDS include:
- Establishment of road hierarchy in the city
- Highway improvement
- Provision of railway over bridge at several sites
- Improvement of road transport services
- Improvement of other modes, namely, waterways, aviation and railways.
- Institutional strengthening
The LTDS has been formulated according to the likely availability of public and private sector funds. |
