Strategic Infrastructure Supporting the Quality of Life in Dhaka

Abstract

This paper explores the role of strategic infrastructure, which includes key physical, environmental and socioeconomic setup of a region that facilitates a good living environment to live a quality life. A wide range of literature shows positive relationships between key infrastructure and quality of life in a region. It has been argued that the presence of adequate service infrastructure with good accessibility by the people provides with a better quality life. Taking Dhaka City Region as an example, the paper highlights that there is a severe infrastructure deficit in the region. Lack of serious initiatives to provide adequate infrastructure, especially in the sectors, such as transport and communication, housing, and utility services add considerably to the costs of development. Especially, due to poor planning and governance, the city fails to achieve the desired level of infrastructure provisions. The study also shows that adequate and quality infrastructure supports required impulses toward better living of the people where they have been planned and provided. Among various infrastructure, social and economic infrastructure are also important along with physical infrastructure. Health and education facilities and services, which are highly inadequate in the region make Dhaka one of the poorly living city regions in the world.