Why are the new streets in Dhaka numbered but not named?

From Jinnah Avenue turning into Bangabandhu Avenue after independence and Ayub Gate turning into Asad Gate during the 1969 uprising, the street names of Dhaka have a history of their own. 

While some of the streets were named after significant personnel such as Bangabandhu, Deshbandhu Cittaranjan Das, martyr Asad, Begum Rokeya, Aga Sadek, Abul Hasnat, Ahsan Ullah and our Liberation War heroes, some other streets have been named after British colonial rulers like Sir Bamfield Fuller (Fuller Road), Bailey Road, Minto Road, Johnson Road etc. 

In some areas, streets and crossroads are given names from local landmarks, such as Matir Masjid Road in Khilgaon, Shat Masjid Road in Mohammadpur, Kellar Mor in Lalbagh, Kazibari Road in Badda etc. 

Historic characters from the Mughal Empire were not spared as well- the roads and streets of the city's Mohammadpur area are named after Nurjahan, Akbar, Tajmahal, Babar, Humayun and so on.

To name a street after someone is a universally accepted way of publicly honouring that person's achievements.

Names such as Road 27 in Dhanmondi, West Agargaon or DIT road are purely descriptive, based on the geographical location of the thoroughfare or any significant structure. 

But more often than not, streets take their names from people, places, events or things, thus situating us not only geographically but also politically, socially, historically.

However, if you look closely at the Dhaka city map, you will find that the new city scape has a unique characteristic- the streets do not have any names, rather they are numbered. 

If you zoom in on the Bashundhara residential area, you will find that this area has a grid layout, and is divided into 13 blocks, named A-M and the roads are numbered up to 56. As this residential area is still expanding, who knows how far they can stretch the numbers? 

A similar pattern can be found in Uttara-Diabari, Uttara DOHS, Mahakhali DOHS, Purbachal and Banasree. 

If you look at the south side of the Bashundhara Residential Area, towards the Badda-Rampura area, you will find a stark difference. The streets are not in a checkerboard pattern, rather they are crooked and twisted and named after local landmarks like Kazibari Road, Koborsthan road, Kancha Bazar Road etc. 

While we appreciate a planned and well-organised city, giving the streets alphabets and numbers instead of names seems like the area has been stripped of a unique identity. 

"The memories and stories behind the street names lived through the people who lived in those areas. However, Dhaka is not for the original Dhakaites only, people from all over the country have migrated here and they haven't been here for long to have memories of this old city, and hence they don't know how to name its alleys."

Towheed Feroze, communication expert and columnist

So, we reached out to urban planners, political historians and communication experts to know whether they also feel the same or not. 

The names come from history

Besides being a communication expert and a columnist, Towheed Feroze introduces himself as an "Elephant Road er pola", meaning a boy who was born and raised in Dhaka's Elephant Road area. 

"The names that you see on the map, they didn't just pop out of nowhere. It has some kind of connection to history or some stories. And the stories live among the people who live there," he said. 

Take the aforementioned Elephant Road for instance. The name came from real elephants that belonged to the Nawabs of Dhaka. These animals were kept in Pilkhana, the present BGB area. From there, they were taken through the Elephant Road to the present Hatir Jheel (also means an elephant lake; in Bangla, hati is elephant and jheel is lake) to be bathed. 

"As I said earlier, the memories and stories [behind the street names] lived through the people who lived in those areas. However, Dhaka is not for the original Dhakaites only, people from all over the country have migrated here and they haven't been here for long to have memories of this old city, and hence they don't know how to name its alleys", Towheed Feroze iterated.

However, writer and political historiographer Mohiuddin Ahmad has a more socio-political explanation to this. He said that it is mostly the powerful and influential people's names that are chosen.

"There is a link between toponyms (place names) and the exercise of power—political authorities use this to promote particular views of history and national identity," Mohiuddin further stated.  

In 1986, Maoz Azaryahu published a paper titled 'Street names and political identity: The case of East Berlin' in the Journal of Contemporary History, where he studied the city names of East Berlin and concluded with the statement "The use of street names for commemorative purposes is a core feature of modern political culture, and they can be considered markers of political identity." 

"The person's name we prioritise over others, represents a set of political, cultural and social values, as well as a version of history and hegemonic narratives of former periods", Azaryahu said in his paper. 

A 'Grid Iron Layout pattern' 

We spoke with Dr Adil Mohammad Khan, an urban planner and professor at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Jahangirnagar University. According to him, street names help us figure out where we are, talk about where we've been. They tell us stories. 

The way the streets are numbered also shows us the characters of a new Dhaka and the differences with the older version of the city. 

"When it is a numbered city, it loses its soul. A name, a historical or cultural identity gives this city life. When you perceive this city as a living entity, you would want to name its places and streets", he said. 

"In urban planning, we use a term called Grid Iron Layout pattern (or the grid plan, grid street plan, or gridiron plan, which is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid or a checkerboard). In designing the new planned Dhaka, we are applying this layout and under this certain pattern, streets are given numbers because of the straight lines and pattern", he explained.

 In an unplanned area, which has grown and expanded organically, the street names don't follow a grid or proper pattern. So, naturally, they cannot be numbered. 

Hence to signify a place or street, the residents choose a general landmark or some name that all of them are familiar with.  

"But that doesn't mean we cannot give historical names to these streets, or name them after significant events. In fact, I believe this will be more appropriate as a city is a torpid being; it's the people and their stories that breathe life into it," said Adil Mohammad.