Road width to say how tall to be a Ctg city building

The Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) has planned to revise building construction rules in the port city by adding a new provision to determine the permissible height of buildings based on the width of the road.

CDA officials say this provision aims to regulate and standardise the construction of buildings in accordance with the characteristics of the surrounding road infrastructure.

According to the new rules, which were finalised during the Chattogram City Development Committee meeting on 4 January this year, the construction of buildings with up to three storeys will be permitted on roads measuring zero to less than 2.5 metres in width.

On the other hand, the construction of 5-7-storey buildings will be allowed on roads with a width ranging from 2.5 metres to 3.65 metres. However, the original rules will continue to apply for roads with a width of 3.65 metres or more.

At present, the proposed rule is awaiting the approval of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works.

The Chattogram Metropolitan Building Code currently stipulates that no building can be constructed adjacent to a road narrower than six metres. To comply with this requirement, landowners must allocate half of the land required to widen the adjacent road to six metres.

For example, if a building is planned next to an existing 3.65-meter road, both landowners on either side must collectively leave a total of 2.35 meters of land to achieve the required width.

The land relinquished by the landowners for road widening will be registered under the ownership of the CDA.

To ensure transparency and adherence to these regulations, detailed information regarding the amount of land to be released and the permitted building construction should be displayed on signboards in front of the under-construction buildings, as per the building code.

Additionally, city corporation councilors will be involved in supervising this matter, it said.

However, officials acknowledge that while landowners surrender land during the design approval stage for the proposed road widening, some later construct buildings on that land. There have been cases of high-rise buildings being erected in narrow alleys by "managing" the regulatory agencies.

Kazi Hasan Bin Shams, chief engineer and chief urban planner (acting) of the CDA, said that the six-meter rule was initially implemented to ensure proper road width in the city.

"However, it has faced challenges in implementation. With the increasing population and number of vehicles in the port city, a new rule is being formulated to address these issues," he said.

However, stakeholders have expressed concern that if not adequately monitored, the new rules may become susceptible to bribery and corruption.

Subhash Barua, urban planner and vice-president of Planned Chattogram Forum, stated, "The minimum benefits of the building code have not been observed in this city. It has become a tool for bribery and corruption."

He added, "The CDA often cites a shortage of manpower as an excuse, but they fail to take necessary actions."

Shaheen Ul Islam, former chief city planner of the CDA, shared his experience, saying, "I took the initiative to demolish some buildings that were constructed without following the rules. However, I couldn't demolish even a single one. Elected representatives and influential individuals obstructed the process."

Six-metre rule fails to widen roads

According to the Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC), buildings are required to allocate space for minimum 8 feet (2.44 meters) roads. However, individual cities have developed their own building codes based on their specific conditions.

In 1995, a master plan was formulated for Chattogram, followed by the creation of building construction rules for Chattogram metropolis in 1996. As per these rules, the road width for building construction should be at least 12 feet (3.66 meters). Subsequently, in the 2008 regulations, the minimum width was increased to 6 meters.

Regarding the height of buildings, it is determined based on the Floor Area Ratio (FAR). The FAR is determined by the amount of land available. In other words, the total floor area of the building is determined by multiplying the land area in square meters by the FAR.

For example, an FAR of 2 is typically allowed for a land area of 2-3 katha, granting a floor area twice the size of the land. This is the usual method of determining the height of buildings.

CDA planners have highlighted the fact that between 1996 and 2008, there was a lack of adherence to building construction regulations in Chattogram.

Kazi Hasan Bin Shams said, "Since the implementation of the building code, not a single metre of road in the city has been widened. Instead, we have been witnessing a gradual contraction of roads."

Vanishing open spaces

According to the building code, it is permissible to utilise up to 60%-67% of the land for building construction. Additionally, a space of 0.80 meters to 1.5 meters should be left around the land for the construction of buildings. However, these regulations have also been neglected.

A research conducted in 2020, titled "Revisiting Planning Standards for Open Spaces in Urban Areas from Global and National Perspectives," by Adil Mohammed Khan, a teacher at Jahangirnagar University, sheds light on the current state of open spaces in the country.

The article notes that the ideal standard set by the World Health Organization suggests that cities should have nine square metres of open space per capita. However, Bangladesh only has 0.65 square metres of open space per capita.

In Dhaka, there are currently 1,266 acres of open space, resulting in a per capita rate of 0.77 square metres. However, only 480 acres of this space are accessible to the public, leading to a per capita rate of 0.28 square metres. Chattogram city, on the other hand, has 200 acres of open space, resulting in a per capita rate of 0.28 square meters.

Shaheen Ul Islam, former chief city planner of the CDA, highlighted the issue of decreasing open spaces and non-compliance with regulations.

He said, "The reduction in open spaces has led Bangladesh to being a country with the least open space in Asia. India's Kolkata has an open space rate of 0.67 square metre per capita, while Mumbai has a rate of 1.1 square meters."