Urban Sustainability: Could Earth Observation solve Dhaka's (Bangladesh) traffic nightmare?
50% of the world’s population lives in cities. However, more vehicles, insufficient infrastructure, and rising emissions pose a substantial challenge to urban mobility and our health and well-being.
The situation is particularly bad in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where authorities struggle with a transportation crisis affecting 24 million people. Practical solutions are urgently needed.
ESA’s GDA Urban Sustainability team collaborated with the Asian Development Bank-supported project “Updating of the Revised Strategic Transport Plan for Dhaka.”
"Well-planned, compact cities make public spending on infrastructure and services economically viable and facilitate the generation and diffusion of knowledge. However, poorly planned urbanisation leads to transport congestion, increased carbon emissions, and poor air quality, underscoring the critical need for sustainable urban development supported by data-driven insights." - David Taverner, M&E consortium lead ESA GDA. Caribou Space.
Location
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Institutions
50% of the world’s population lives in cities. However, more vehicles, insufficient infrastructure, and rising emissions pose a substantial challenge to urban mobility and our health and well-being.
The situation is particularly bad in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where authorities struggle with a transportation crisis affecting 24 million people. Practical solutions are urgently needed.
ESA’s GDA Urban Sustainability team collaborated with the Asian Development Bank-supported project “Updating of the Revised Strategic Transport Plan for Dhaka.”
"Well-planned, compact cities make public spending on infrastructure and services economically viable and facilitate the generation and diffusion of knowledge. However, poorly planned urbanisation leads to transport congestion, increased carbon emissions, and poor air quality, underscoring the critical need for sustainable urban development supported by data-driven insights." - David Taverner, M&E consortium lead ESA GDA. Caribou Space.
Location
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Institutions
Over the years, Bangladesh has undergone significant urban transformation. In 1974, just 9% of the country’s population lived in cities, but this figure has since risen to 37%.
Central to this shift is Dhaka, which has not only witnessed a dramatic population increase from 3 million to 18 million but has also become the primary destination for rural-urban migrants, creating a pressing demand for space.
Known as the "city of rivers," heavy monsoon rains cause frequent flooding in Dhaka. This leads to road closures, traffic jams, and disruptions to public transport.
Today, the city endures painfully slow average traffic speeds, with the economic toll on Bangladesh accounting for 6 to 10% of national GDP.
Location
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Institutions
Over the years, Bangladesh has undergone significant urban transformation. In 1974, just 9% of the country’s population lived in cities, but this figure has since risen to 37%.
Central to this shift is Dhaka, which has not only witnessed a dramatic population increase from 3 million to 18 million but has also become the primary destination for rural-urban migrants, creating a pressing demand for space.
Known as the "city of rivers," heavy monsoon rains cause frequent flooding in Dhaka. This leads to road closures, traffic jams, and disruptions to public transport.
Today, the city endures painfully slow average traffic speeds, with the economic toll on Bangladesh accounting for 6 to 10% of national GDP.
Location
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Institutions
In response to Dhaka's transportation challenges, city authorities approved the 20-year Revised Strategic Transport Plan in 2016.
Six years on, new opportunities for improvement have surfaced.
Location
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Institutions
In response to Dhaka's transportation challenges, city authorities approved the 20-year Revised Strategic Transport Plan in 2016.
Six years on, new opportunities for improvement have surfaced.
Location
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Institutions
The project has been examining Dhaka's complex transport network using various models operating at different scales.
For example, macroscopic models, incorporating Earth Observation, provide insights into traffic zones, demand, stress on infrastructure and localised incidents like floods.
The team provided Earth Observation-derived land use and land cover maps, which help determine where trips are generated and their destinations.
Combined with crowd-sourced data, population counts can answer critical questions in data-poor environments.
The team also used a macroscopic transport model that could be used without relying on in-country survey data. Even without recent surveys, this approach sets the groundwork for demand modelling and impact assessments.
Using so-called “microscopic model extensions”, they studied the impact of floods on traffic and road closures using detailed computer models. This helped them understand specific changes in traffic patterns and road accessibility caused by severe flooding.
Policymakers in Dhaka and other cities can use this data to compare the impact of various interventions on trip distribution, mode choice, and route assignment.
Thanks to substantial interest in the geospatial products from the ADB Transport Sector, the GDA Urban team conducted an awareness-raising session for about 50 ADB Experts.
Subsequently, ADB also connected the GDA Urban team with another project with Bangladesh Railways in relation to the design of a new railway line, with the potential for more GDA Urban products to be provided to this project.
Overall, there has been significant raising of awareness amongst ADB officials on how Earth Observation can be used to enhance activities in the urban mobility and transport sector.
Location
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Institutions
The project has been examining Dhaka's complex transport network using various models operating at different scales.
For example, macroscopic models, incorporating Earth Observation, provide insights into traffic zones, demand, stress on infrastructure and localised incidents like floods.
The team provided Earth Observation-derived land use and land cover maps, which help determine where trips are generated and their destinations.
Combined with crowd-sourced data, population counts can answer critical questions in data-poor environments.
The team also used a macroscopic transport model that could be used without relying on in-country survey data. Even without recent surveys, this approach sets the groundwork for demand modelling and impact assessments.
Using so-called “microscopic model extensions”, they studied the impact of floods on traffic and road closures using detailed computer models. This helped them understand specific changes in traffic patterns and road accessibility caused by severe flooding.
Policymakers in Dhaka and other cities can use this data to compare the impact of various interventions on trip distribution, mode choice, and route assignment.
Thanks to substantial interest in the geospatial products from the ADB Transport Sector, the GDA Urban team conducted an awareness-raising session for about 50 ADB Experts.
Subsequently, ADB also connected the GDA Urban team with another project with Bangladesh Railways in relation to the design of a new railway line, with the potential for more GDA Urban products to be provided to this project.
Overall, there has been significant raising of awareness amongst ADB officials on how Earth Observation can be used to enhance activities in the urban mobility and transport sector.
Location
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Institutions
EO impact key takeaways
→ Preparing for the future of urban mobility is a daunting task, and Dhaka is no exception.
→ The Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority can at any time use the products provided by the GDA Urban Consortium to enhance their transport planning and modelling.
→ The use of Earth Observation holds enormous potential to revolutionise urban mobility planning. By tapping into satellite data, cities across the globe can make well-informed decisions about traffic management and infrastructure development.
→ And this should result in cities and communities that are more resilient and sustainable.
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