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Just Sustainability in the Global South: A Case Study of the Megacity of Dhaka

Author

Listed:
  • Saleh Ahmed

    (Arid Lands Resource Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ)

  • Mahbubur Meenar

    (Department of Geography, Planning, and Sustainability, School of Earth and Environment, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ)

Abstract

Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, accommodates 18 million people and is one of the largest megacities in the world. A large share of its population is poor and lives in informal settlements which can be called slums. In addition to precarious and unhealthy living conditions, these slum dwellers lack formal land tenure rights and therefore are subject to government-supported evictions. Slum evictions due to various urban development pressures may bring short-term benefits to the urban real estate market but have adverse long-term effects on sustainability and livelihoods of the city’s poor residents. Using the conceptual lens of just sustainability (JS)—which facilitates an investigation of the normative and practical challenges of sustainability and environmental justice—the authors argue that urban development in Dhaka needs to ensure social justice and sustainability. While the geographic focus of this article is Dhaka, this study has direct relevance—in terms of policy and planning implications—for other cities in the Global South.

Suggested Citation

  • Saleh Ahmed & Mahbubur Meenar, 2018. "Just Sustainability in the Global South: A Case Study of the Megacity of Dhaka," Journal of Developing Societies, , vol. 34(4), pages 401-424, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:jodeso:v:34:y:2018:i:4:p:401-424
    DOI: 10.1177/0169796X18806740
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. World Bank, 2007. "Bangladesh - Dhaka : Improving Living Conditions for the Urban Poor," World Bank Publications - Reports 7686, The World Bank Group.
    2. Martin Rama & Tara Béteille & Yue Li & Pradeep K. Mitra & John Lincoln Newman, 2015. "Addressing Inequality in South Asia," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 20395, December.
    3. Sumit Kumar, 2016. "Dimensions and Determinants of Morbidity: Evidence from Slums of Chandigarh," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(6), pages 845-856, August.
    4. AKM Ahsan Ullah, 2004. "Bright City Lights and Slums of Dhaka city: Determinants of rural-urban migration in Bangladesh," Migration Letters, Migration Letters, vol. 1(1), pages 26-41, October.
    5. Nicola Banks & Manoj Roy & David Hulme, 2011. "Neglecting the urban poor in Bangladesh: research, policy and action in the context of climate change," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series 14411, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    6. Khalid Sekkat, 2017. "Urban Concentration and Poverty in Developing Countries," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(3), pages 435-458, September.
    7. Giles Atkinson & Simon Dietz & Eric Neumayer & Matthew Agarwala (ed.), 2014. "Handbook of Sustainable Development," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 15312.
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    Cited by:

    1. Sanjana Ahmed & Mahbubur Meenar & Ashraful Alam, 2019. "Designing a Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI) Network: Toward Water-Sensitive Urban Growth Planning in Dhaka, Bangladesh," Land, MDPI, vol. 8(9), pages 1-21, September.

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