Dhaka's elite enclaves, Purbachal's promise: what experts say about neighbourhood development

Bangladesh's largest planned township, Purbachal New Town, is being built to house one million residents across 6,150-6,227 acres, RAJUK officials confirm. The project comprises 26,000 residential plots and 62,000 apartments in 19 sectors. But as construction progresses, urban experts warn that Dhaka's formally planned areas are increasingly becoming homogeneous elite enclaves or restricted gated communities, compromising the traditional intermediate community spaces that once defined the city's neighbourhoods.

The tension between large-scale planning and social inclusion matters now because Dhaka is absorbing multiple mega-developments while its older neighbourhoods undergo piecemeal upgrades. The Dhaka City Neighborhood Upgrading Project (DCNUP), a five-year initiative backed by Dhaka South City Corporation and the World Bank, is currently upgrading public spaces, traffic junctions and green areas in four inner-city areas: Kamrangirchar, Lalbagh, Sutrapur-Nayabazar-Gulistan, and Khilgaon-Mugdha-Bashabo. That project aims to improve liveability without displacing residents, a direct counterpoint to the exclusionary trend seen in new private developments.

What officials and experts are saying

RAJUK, the capital development authority, has positioned Purbachal as a solution to Dhaka's chronic overcrowding. But contemporary residential developments, particularly in formally planned areas, are producing what analysts describe as elite enclaves. One expert assessment notes that these new communities are increasingly restricted, gated, and homogeneous, sacrificing the intermediate community spaces-semi-public courtyards, small markets, shared verandas-that historically allowed different income groups to mix in Dhaka's older mohallas.

The contrast is sharpest in Uttara, the major developed residential area near Shahjalal International Airport. While Uttara already benefits from relatively better infrastructure, connectivity is expected to improve significantly once the Dhaka Metro Rail project begins operation along its corridor. Yet even there, observers say the pattern of walled compounds and private amenities is replicating itself, raising questions about whether new neighbourhoods will foster social cohesion or deepen segregation.

New luxury projects and the diplomatic enclave effect

In 2026, several high-end projects are coming to market. Sheltech Khan Legacy in Banani, with completion scheduled for 2028, targets buyers seeking a premium address. ANZ Hoque Square in Badda is another addition to the middle-class-to-upscale segment. But the most telling signal of the market's direction may be Shanta Holdings' Atelier Complex, a LEED-certified project where 40 percent of units are reserved for diplomatic staff. That allocation, developers say, reflects demand from international organisations for secure, high-amenity housing that is physically and socially separate from the surrounding city.

Purbachal itself remains a work in progress. The township's scale is unprecedented-one million residents would make it larger than many Bangladeshi cities. But whether it becomes an inclusive, mixed-income community or another ring of elite suburbs will depend on how RAJUK allocates the 26,000 plots and 62,000 apartments, and whether it preserves space for the intermediate community spaces that experts say are essential for urban vitality.

What comes next

For residents and prospective buyers, the immediate takeaway is that Dhaka's neighbourhood development is moving in two directions simultaneously: top-down megaprojects on the periphery and targeted upgrades in older central areas through DCNUP. Officials at Dhaka South City Corporation have not announced a timeline for expanding the neighbourhood upgrading project beyond the four current zones. Meanwhile, homebuyers looking at Purbachal should scrutinise the mix of plot types and common spaces in each sector, not just the unit count or completion date. As one urban planning analysis puts it, the city's future liveability will be determined less by how many apartments are built than by who gets to live in them-and whether the spaces between the buildings still belong to everyone.