Rural settlement planning: A study on developing compact village in Keota union under Rajapur Thana under Jhalakathi District

1.1      Background of the study

With the pre-occupation of population explosion and its impacts on urban areas, less prominent, perhaps has been concern with the prevailing conditions for human settlements in rural areas in Bangladesh. The rural settlement of Bangladesh is characterized by ancient Agrarian rural economy. River network play a vital role to develop rural settlement in Bangladesh. The spontaneous development of rural settlement related to the natural growth of a particular area. It can be termed as a ‘natural settlement’. Modern innovations are changing the traditional practices and influence the rural settlement. Slow developments in rural areas are visible in present. Many rural settlements remain out of influence of the central places where the central places consider as a most ideal for efficient services. So that the rural area remain ignored to give services.

Some problems are existent in rural settlement pattern: unplanned growth, less facilities needed for everyday life, lack of interrelationship between different activities in rural economy, rural areas are named as deprived area, livelihood pattern is costly, spontaneous built up may raise problem to get facilities like roads network, electricity, education, bazaar etc and so on. All stated problems will be burden for future development activities.

Settlement growth of rural settlements implies the social losses, economic losses and hinder to get facilities need in everyday life. Compact development will strengthen the positive impact on social and economic condition as well as well facilities. And also achieve co-ordination between settlements and their activities. It also restricts the density pattern. So it can form as a controlled development rather than uncontrolled development. Traditionally in rural areas the services; schools, colleges, electricity, water supply and other facilities providing is costly because of distance cost. For this reason the government don’t initiate programs for the scattered settlements. Possibilities will increase if it will be compact development and that’s the way to reduce the cost of such services and livelihood. It is the new form of planning in rural areas may create decent housing program in Bangladesh. And to create suitable living condition it can be a pilot project which may create standards for rural housing.

1.2      Statement of the problem

In view of the characteristics of and dynamics of rural settlements vis-à-vis their aspects of development a number of issues may be brought out for planning consideration. Further in order to maintain an ecological balance he planning settlements at this stage may be regarded as one of the crucial issues for the human habitat in rural Bangladesh. It is intended that the planning of rural settlements should also take into account an integrated framework for rural and urban development of the national settlements system.

Considering agriculture as the foundation of the population and the economy of the country the settlement planning of rural Bangladesh should also take into account the best possible use of land in general and that of rural land in particular. In the recent study, it is proved that the agricultural land is fluently converted to different uses mainly on the basis of increasing population. Huge study already had been done for compact growth in rural areas mostly on flood affected areas to protect the area. But the physical planning of an area perpetuate the innovative activities and forwarding peoples thinking about their livelihood.

1.2.1 Definition of rural areas

•      Agriculture based economy

•      Shortage of facilities (water supply, electricity supply, road network)

•      No planning considerations at all

•      Less population density

1.2.2 Rural settlement

People settle for living. Settlement considers

•      Residence

•      Other buildings

•      Paths and streets (what people use for themselves)

1.2.3 Compact village

People live densely rather than disperse (scattered) with sharing same facilities. Agglomeration of houses, facilities (like road network), services (waters supply, electricity etc)

1.3      Justification Of The Study

Rural economy is mainly agriculture-based economy. Spatial and non-spatial improvement of rural areas is happening slowly. Considering all economic activities settlement planning will be actor of economic diversity where most of the villagers are poor. From the economic point of view the surplus of agricultural sector will extend the other sector so that the people’s income is increasing but in existing situation the income pattern of the villagers are nearly stagnant. Causes behind rural to urban migration express the less economic activities in the rural areas. Existing rural facilities (potable water supply, administrations, health facilities etc) are also not adequate to serve the villagers. The most important thing is the lack of coordination between villagers so that the development activities were hindered. The most important things should be available to accelerate the development activities. Generally the rural people are deprive from most of the services. They lead a normal life because of not their contemporary thinking to develop themselves. Enough resources are available in rural areas to raise peoples livelihood pattern. Having rural characteristics some small but contributing activities (road network development, institutional facilities, religious facilities etc and so on) may change the peoples’ perception about themselves. thsi paper will emphasize on the

1.4      Objectives of the study

• To identify the existing rural settlements pattern of the study area
• To identify the problems of present settlement pattern
• To identify the prospects of proposed compact rural settlement

1.5      Limitations of the study

• There was no secondary information about the settlements in the study area, which could have been handy for this study. So, the study has depended on the primary field survey. To conduct primary survey for this study has been really tough one and some times created unexpected problems.
• In depth study may be not possible because of time limitation
• Temporary settlements may not be considered in this study because they settle them for a few days. To consider them time needed to collect data about them because they are not always available.
• All spatial planning considerations may not be consider in the study

1.6      Review of literature

It is considering as process which grows concept about the works and also mentions related works of the study. It can be some extent of theories, manuals or guidelines which find the hyacinth of previous studies and also find out the difference between proposed study and previous studies.

1.6.1 Published documents

·         Muhammad Z. Mamun in his article “Densification planning and development of river erosion-prone areas: an integrated systems approach” in “Bangladesh’s Development Agenda and Vision 2020” designed a compact village for landless people (loses their lands by river erosion). Where household settlements in safer areas from river erosion points, economic diversification, safe distance land cultivation and transport network integrated by identified problem matrix. Finally give strategies for settlement, land cultivation, economic diversity and transport network development for peoples. And this study tried to compact the existing settlements where people establish their cottage ultimate result of spontaneous settlement pattern.

·         Sabiha Sultana in her book “RURAL SETTLEMENTS IN BANGLADESH” stated some evolution of settlement, spatial arrangements of the rural settlements and find out problems to some extent of selected areas. She detected some problems of existing rural settlements but problems identification and tried to find out the opportunities of compact settlement are basic features of the study.

·         S.M. Hafiz Zaid in his book “The Village Cultural in Transition- a case study of East Pakistan Rural society” mentioned the characteristics of rural settlement in Bangladesh. He also stated that compact, nucleated settlements are rare in Bangladesh. And general pattern is isolated and disperse which has been said to be the characteristics of deltaic area. Two factors are affecting this settlement pattern: a) the process of land settlement by government and b) the pattern of ownership. It stated the conventional pattern and some problems of existing settlement pattern. This study tried to finds out the problems and reduces those problems by compacting settlements.

·         Prof. Abdul Hamid in his book “Village Planning in the Cyclone prone areas of Bangladesh” developed compact settlements with give some elements in the settlements to reduce the damages: plots of lands for homestead, farm land, community facilities and services (road, water supply, school, shops, club, co-operative offices, religious facilities, cyclone shelter). This study will also see foreseen problem also and then design for developing compact growth. This study will try to reduce the existing problems with compact settlement.

1.6.2 Unpublished documents

·          In 1981 to 1989AD two projects were sound named, ‘THIKANA’ and ‘GUSSAGRAM’ which were demolished in few days. Those programs started for landless people to address out them in one places for live and somewhere gave them some opportunities to earn something. But in this study no opportunities would give only find out positive and some negative impact of compact growth.

·          Mahmud, Md. Nahid in his thesis study in “Indiscriminate Expansion of Rural Settlements and Its Spatial Consequences: a case study on Horintana Village, Batiaghata Thana, Khulna” stated the spatial problems due to scattered settlements. He was not considered the social and political issues in Landuse change.

1.6.3 Internet documents

·          In Ohio, America Liberty Township was founded 1808. The township functions both quietly and efficiently and can accomplish more for less tax money than any other form of local government. Liberty Township has adopted a comprehensive plan which the local leaders and community are committed to upholding. Liberty Township was built upon reducing pressure on town centre. Basic services were available and people were ready to pay for it. And it was fully governed by state. But this study is concern for existing condition and try to reduce the problems exists in the study area. Environmental issues should be planning consideration.

6.1 Introduction

Village planning does no longer mean preparation of plan for the residential potion of the rural area i.e. the village. the countries, dominated by rural areas and rural economy and somehow poorer than others. So their major concern is to develop the economy of the first. Growth of productivity needs modernization of means of production, which is mostly agriculture in case of the developing countries.  But modernisation of agriculture is complex process which can not be achieved in isolation. Thus it has been said that “the transformation taking place in rural societies, representing as they perhaps do the most fundamental change in human socio-economic patterns since the Neolithic are regarded as not soluble by any specific ideology or method rather the comprehensiveness in approach…….” ¹

6.2 Need for physical planning

Regarding the importance of a physical plan for rural areas the participants in the United Nations Inter-Regional Seminar on Rural housing and Community facilities held in Venezuela in 1967, emphasize in following words

“Effort to introduce services into the rural environment, have made it obvious that community development and the organization of a rational rural production, requires an optimal concentration of built-zones, preserving adequate distances, to the fields…The provision of services an optimal concentration of built zones, preserving administering them separately to single family units, prevents their costly duplication and enables more efficient and economical maintenance due to larger client available………….physical planning of the rural areas is an essential part of the process of rural development” ²

In support of the need for physical plans for villages Jahne argues in the following words

“Modern agricultural production exerts an influence on the village, transforming it together with its environs. So an integrated plan is essential from the very beginning.” ³

 

¹ Halpern, Joel M., The Changing Village Community (N.J: Prentice Hall, Inc. 1967) p-VI

² Hillburg, C., Maos T. and Prion.I. Physical Planning and sanitation for Rural Villages and Communities (Ekistics, vol-24 number41, august 1967, p-163)

³  Jahne, Johannes., Principles and practice of planning Villages (Bombay: Asia Publishing House, 1964) p-5

6.3 objectives

The following are our goals and objectives in preparing the plans and design for the village

●    As the maximum people are poor so the compacting should be carried out in such a way that community development activities can be organized

●    The families must be clustered in some points so that reduce the pressure on agricultural land

●    The compacting should be able to foster community life and action which is absent but needed in the area

●    area should be cover more than 4000 people

6.4 development of compact village

We all had to bear in mind that our projects shall be implemented in rural areas, so the people’s liking and disliking shall have to be very carefully considered. The most important point of our consideration was the knowledge about the physical condition of the locality where our project shall be located.

6.4.1 elements of the village structure

Following are the basic elements of composition of village structure

1.     land for homestead or Bari

2.     road for internal communication

3.     water supply for washing and bathing

4.     water supply for drinking purposes

5.     community centre

6.     open space for play ground and community functions

7.     accommodation of the villagers

6.4.2 Proposed layout for Keota village

map 6.4.2.1 Proposed layout map of Keota village

6.4.3 Considerations

●    It was already identified that houses of the village are close proximity to road ways. It should be first consideration in design process to develop compact village. With the curvature of road the houses are establish randomly. So the agricultural lands between two houses converted into fellow land

●    Hardly try to demolish present structure of the village

●    Some standards are follows in design process but as the land is limited so the standards are mainly comparative standards as the study area before this study was change and also the scenario of those areas different from this scenario of the village

●    Accommodation of more than 4000 population

●    School with playground

●    Commercial centre and community center are in middle point

6.4.4 Calculation of land distribution in different purposes

Road width	20 ft or 0.0061 km
Length of the road	6 km
Homestead area	0.11 acre per family
School with playground	2.5 acre
Accommodation of total family	800
Average household size	5

i.e. Homestead are comprises with plot for living, water sources for drinking and bathing, green and vegetation

6.4.4.1 Area needed for the settlement

Calculation of road area

Road width (in km)	0.0061
Total length of the road (in km)	6
Area (in sq. km)	0.0366
Area (in acre)	9.044

Note: acre = 0.004 sq. km.

Calculation of homestead land

In deciding upon the size and shape of the piece of land needed for homestead a number of considerations had to be made. These considerations were mostly relating to the living pattern of families including their habitual and economic well being. For peasant families the size of land should be such that their daily life remains unhindered; and that size has been considered to be about one acre. But in the situation as in Bangladesh it is impossible, not only because of cost but the fact is that land is not available. In Malaysia the Federal Land Development Authority (FLDA) used about 1/8 acre ¹. In India the size varies from 20 ft by 60 ft to 59 ft by 120 ft².  but in countries like Italy, Holland, Mexico and Israel a minimum size they considered is one to two and half acres³. in our practice in Bangladesh we tried to provide about one bigha (bigha is equal to 1/3 acre). But it was not possible. Firstly land was not available in the selected location; secondly the cost was becoming exorbitant. So we decided over a plot size of 40 ft by 120 ft which come about 1/9^th of an acre.

Total household	800
Average household size	5
Area of each homestead (in acre)	0.11
Total area for settlement (in acre)	88

Assumed functional division of the homestead is as following

1. 10 ft set back from the street in the front
2. then an area for house 20 ft by 30 ft having side passage
3. small courtyard for various domestic purposes 30 ft by 30 ft
4. next follows 20 ft by 40 ft space for cowshed
5. 50 ft by 30 ft space for vegetation garden
6. at last 20 ft by 30 ft space for pond as a source of water for self cleaning

It can be change by household owner hut the total area can not be change.

Table 6.4.4.1 Overall scenario of the total designed area

Mark	Area in acres
Road area	9
Homestead area	88
School, madradha with playground	2.5
Service centre, community facilities and commercial activities	5
Others	457.6
Total land	104.5

6.4.5 Problems arises with the design

●    Some agricultural land converted into non-agricultural land

●    Some houses are withdrawal from previous place where some people should be transferred to new possession

●    Large investment needed for development

●    Some people intended not to go to new place

●    What about the existing condition of the village (infrastructure, houses etc)

6.4.6 Direct benefits of the proposed design

●    Agricultural land and man ratio will increase as the ratio in 1991 and in 2005 are given below

After implementing the project the 457.6 acre land can be used as agricultural land but it will not happen because of the ownership pattern are not same. So far if the figure goes to 350 acre then the ratio (350/4000 is equals to 0.0875) will be higher that the existing per capita agricultural land is 0.06

Table 6.4.6 Agricultural land man ratio after execution of plan

Category of Land use	1991		2005		After execution of plan
	Amount (Acre)	Land man ratio	Amount (Acre)	Land man ratio	Amount (acre)	Land man ratio
Agricultural land	321	0.12	201	0.06	350	0.0875

Sources: Field survey 2005

●    The area is designed for different purposes so the peoples economic activities will increase and also increase income

The cost/benefit analysis prepared by the experts in our design team presents a very hopeful future for this project. According to them the family income shall be doubled (from 1350/- to tk 3000/-). And the cost benefit ratio projected by them was 1: 1.25*. But in this village the income generating activities will be more facilitate so the income will not be less than existing income.

6.4.7 Indirect benefits

●    The communication will reinforce in the area as the condition of road will be better, perhaps it will reduce the transport cost

●    As this project need vast financial help which can solve by Government itself and also donor agency so the peoples perception about themselves would change

●    Entrepreneurship, new farms will be started

●    Increasing income lead toward better livelihood

●    Different NGOs and also from government initiatives do institutional support to the people

●    The ultimate result in increase income which helps rural poor people directly and this is hot cake for poor people all over the world

Voice of Secretary to the Department of Rural Development and Co-operatives, Government of Bangladesh about Bishwa Gram:

“You will be happy to learn that Bishwa Gram today is living, thriving village. It stands like a phoenix, a symbol of new life, coming out of the ashes of devastating”*

With the voice of Secretary this village can be a model village to improvement of rural areas in Bangladesh.

7.1 Suggestion

In the decentralization era peoples’ tendency to live outside of the busy area and to fulfill the human needs resources utilization is essential. Like urban areas it is depicted that lands are divided into small pieces to maintain the increasing population. The result is going to damage the characteristics of the rural areas in Bangladesh. Unplanned growth happen although slowly but after few years it perhaps a considerable issues how to mange the villages in Bangladesh. There are huge efforts already have been done in the rural areas sometimes for flood purposes, sometimes for economic purposes. All those positive approaches have been taken after situation but why not in early? With identifying the problems of areas initiatives should be taken as early as possible. Some ideologies are given below

●    None can develop anything if there participation is absent so it must ensure participation in every level of development

●    Planning should be focus on grass root

●    Measurement should be more positive to the stakeholder as the planning for the stakeholder

●    Some strategies should be taken to strengthening the literacy (self literacy also) rate

●    Sufficient information should be avail to the villagers

All those ideologies or strategies will helps to motivate the rural poor people to change their stagnant condition of livelihood pattern and also raise their voice.

 7.2 Conclusion

For the planning of rural settlement in Bangladesh the development of key settlements by which some villages are selected as focal settlement units for concentration of rural functions and facilities with an aim to bring about development at the local level and services at the closest proximate to the rural populace, in contrast to the thana centers which act as the single focus of development activities and only source of institutional services and functions organized at the politico administrative level, the key settlements act as the multiple centers serving the same purpose within an administrative unit, i.e. thana. Under the present situation excepting the administrative functions the mean centers of location of other functions often greatly deviate from the thana centers while the concentration of most administrative functions in the than centers largely narrows down the feasibility of spreading the benefits of development efforts of the thana towards their rural hinterlands. It is in this context that the introduction of key settlement concept in the development planning of rural settlements of Bangladesh could mitigate such type incongruity. In particular village with economic nodes like bazaar, hat, ganj or socio economic centers associated with one or more villages could be identified and developed as the second order growth centers next to the thana. In the key settlements policy a comprehensive functions in terms of housing local agricultural planning land use control and other basic facilities and activities like health and family welfare could attribute.

In view of the density of rural population and settlement and the latter’s spacing transport accessibility socio-economic and various infrastructural conditions it should be noted that any planning effort of rural settlements through a framework of a national settlements system could successfully be implemented by recognizing the key settlements upon which all thana level upliftments do inherently depend.

In Bangladesh there are some rural settlements with high population concentration where the development of small scale activity centers like ganj or Bandar could effectively channelise various development effort of the government. On the other hand in areas with less population pressure or in remote rural areas key settlements may promote a planned growth of related infrastructures and services for attracting additional into them. Thus in various forms ht key settlements concept has a wider applicability, especially for encouraging delivery of institutional facilities and services such as various infrastructures, housing amenities and facilities etc, to the lower order centers at a minimum cost while initiating saving of land resources of agricultural value from the thana centered development planning in the country. With the settlement planning approach different level of local administration needs and resources endowments can be assessed and many policies of the government be implemented most efficiently within the purview of the national settlements system in the country.