Ex-Ante EvaluationFebruary 5th, 2015
FiledFebruary 5th, 2015Recently, rapid urbanization is taking place in Bangladesh. As of 2012, 29.0% (about 45 million) people live in urban areas, resulting in an annual growth rate of 2.9 percent—far beyond the national average of 1.2%. The urban population is expected to further rise in the near future. Urban infrastructure development (e.g. roads, drainage trenches, waste disposal and treatment facilities) is falling behind the rising population, resulting in severe urban problems such as serious traffic congestion, urban environmental deterioration, noise, air pollution, and other contamination. There are eleven city corporations (core metropolitan areas) in Bangladesh that serve as regional industrial clusters—and as important economic centers, they lead national development. Besides the city corporations, relatively small local cities called “Pourashava” also exist in the country. However, Bangladesh's fragile urban infrastructure hinders appropriate economic activity and blocks further job creation a