Tuesday, October 20, 2016 Opinion Re-imagining the urban by Shayer Ghafur | http://www.newagebd.net/article/1162/re-imagining-the-urban Published: 22:00, Oct 20,2016 AN U‘BAN age aŶĐhoƌs the ϮϬϭϲ Haďitat ϯ ĐoŶfeƌeŶĐe iŶ EĐuadoƌ as a half of the ǁoƌlds populatioŶ has started living in urban areas since 2008. The post-World War II global spread of urbanisation and transformation of the urban areas presents an intriguing phenomenon to deal with and a moment to rethink our inherited ideas of the urban-ƌuƌal ďiŶaƌLJ. Eǀeƌ siŶĐe Aesops faďle, the toǁŶ ŵouse aŶd the ĐouŶtƌLJ ŵouse, had allegoƌiĐallLJ depiĐted this ďiŶaƌLJ, the ĐoŶtƌast ďetǁeeŶ the ĐouŶtƌLJ aŶd the ĐitLJ continued. The changing relations between the country and the city have for long been problematic in soĐial sĐieŶĐes. SĐholaƌs todaLJ aƌgue ouƌ liǀiŶg iŶ a plaŶetaƌLJ uƌďaŶisatioŶ that dispeŶses ǁith the uƌďaŶ- rural binary for an urban continuum. The colonisation of the near and distant rural areas by expanding cities through the social production of space underpins the embedding of the planetary urbanisation in an urban society. What would be the local, situated explication of this planetary urbanisation in re- imagining the urban beyond an urban-rural binary in Bangladesh? If, indeed, there is a case to reimagine the urban in Bangladesh, then on whose terms and to what ends? Answers to the questions trace the contradictions in an unfolding urban society in Bangladesh. BaŶgladesh has Đoŵe a loŶg ǁaLJ fƌoŵ its eaƌlLJ ϭ9ϳϬs ďottoŵless ďasket to the pƌeseŶt ǁoƌlds tailoƌ status. This journey is a success story amidst a backdrop of rapid urbanisation; urban population in Bangladesh grew from 8.78 per cent (6.27 millions) in 1974 to 28 per cent (41.94 millions) in 2011. The latest 2011 census defines urban areas composed of city corporations, municipalities, upazila headquarters, and cantonment areas. A progressive private-sector development because of global economic integration, since the 1980s, increased agricultural production; and an increased remittance inflow and an expanded mobile telecommunications network have contributed to raising its gross domestic product and the per capita income. The spread of NGOs, government organisations and donors- funded initiatives, on the other hand, have extended social and physical services countrywide to improve the Human Development Index. Despite these progresses during an ongoing urbanisation, decreasing per capita land remains a thƌeat to its path to pƌospeƌitLJ, let aloŶe peoples sustaiŶed dǁelliŶg iŶ ƌelatioŶ to their surrounding, built or natural, environment. The author of Compact Townships and the Magical 10% puts forth this looming threat: how would an economy accommodate and feed an increased 250 million population by the end of this century while Bangladesh has been losing its arable land each year? The implementation of compact townships — agglomeration of houses, hospitals, schools, markets, rural industries and local government units with all basic services for almost 20,000 people — might appear a resolution of the problem. But there is a catch. Viewing compact townships as issues takes human subjects