A Typo-Morphological Analysis to Trace the Historical Transformation of Urban Blocks Around Ramna Race Course Between 1947-200

Abstract

Due to negligence in planning and deficient urban governance, Dhaka city ranks very low in

various liveability indexes and global surveys carried out annually. Unlike Chandigarh or

Islamabad, the city was not developed with the guidance of renowned and established city

planners. And yet, its physical characteristics have been gradually transforming over the past

400 years. This raises the question, how is that transformation happening over the course of

time, and what are the causes? To understand this, this paper aims to look at the

transformation of Ramna, one of the historically and politically significant neighbourhoods

of Dhaka. The paper focuses on typo morphological analysis of urban blocks in and

surrounding the area formerly known as Ramna Race Course, between the time period 1947

and 2000. Using typo morphological analysis, this study identified the main reasons for the

transformation of some selected parts of the area in and surrounding the Ramna Race Course

area. The results show that power play by political parties, development to support

institutional needs of University of Dhaka and encroachment by newer buildings are the

primary reasons for the transformation of the six selected study areas.