The Department of Architecture, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology organised a seminar titled 鈥楴ature-Based Solutions for Peripheral Futures of Dhaka: Bridging Micro-Scale Placemaking and Macro-Scale Urban Transformation for a Resilient Urban Vision鈥� at the BUET council building on Saturday.
The event was hosted by the Urban Design and Landscape (UDL) Division of the Department of Architecture, BUET and supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft f眉r Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Bangladesh as the knowledge dissemination partner, and Credence Housing Ltd as the logistics partner.
The seminar brought together around 130 participants including chair of the session Professor Abu Borhan Mohammad Badruzzaman, vice-chancellor of BUET; Professor Abdul Hasib Chowdhury, special guest pro-vice chancellor of BUET; and chief guest Mohammad Azaz, administrator of Dhaka North City Corporation.
Attendees included invited professionals and practitioners, government officials, representatives from NGOs and development organisations, academicians, students, and members of the press.
Nature-based Solutions offer innovative pathways for addressing climate adaptation, biodiversity loss, waterlogging, heat stress, and public health risks. By integrating ecological knowledge with architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design, nature-based solutions help restore natural systems while strengthening community resilience and environmental quality.
Professor Nasreen Hossain, the convenor, delivered a keynote highlighting the Department of Architecture, BUET鈥檚 contribution to nature-based placemaking and its citywide implications for healthy urban design.
Associate Professor Apurba K Podder discussed the evolving notion of peripherality in Dhaka鈥檚 urban landscape, while assistant professor Alia Shahed presented the socio-spatial dimensions of a multi-scalar NbS approach, focusing on ecological networks and community practices in transitional areas.
Students showcased studio outcomes based on two peripheral sites, analysing the interactions between Dhaka鈥檚 north-western blue鈥揼reen areas and adjacent communities.
The panel discussion comprised Khurshid Zabin Hossain Taufique, secretary of Environment and Urbanization at IAB; Iqbal Habib, co-founder of VITTI Sthapati Brindo Ltd; and Feisal Rahman, senior water climate adaptation specialist at the Global Center on Adaptation, with Professor Nasreen Hossain moderating.
