City Life in two different density situations : experiences of people moving from a densely populated mega city to a sparsely populated developing city
Abstract: Density studies are now one of the areas of the most prolific interest for city planners, policy makers and designers. The shift of this interest comes from rapid urbanization and globalization issues, which the modern cities are suffering right now. Density has created some impact upon the city life: both in positive and negative ways. Regarding the primary concern of the issue, the study here summarizes the impact of density on city life derived from the experiences and perception of people in two different density situations: one is highly dense populated South Asian mega city (Dhaka) and another one is sparsely populated growing European city (Malmö). Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is now one of the most densely populated mega cities in the whole world (115,000 per square mile or 44,000 per square kilometer) and has been facing the problems that arise from the overpopulation issue (BBS, 2011). On the other hand Malmö city is growing day by day and now it is the third largest city of Sweden with the inhabitant of approx. 300000 people (1805.1 per square kilometer). The city is well known for its green nature, especially for the parks and open spaces. These two different scenarios can put up a significant impact on the city life among citizens who have migrated from Dhaka to Malmo. Aged and Young people, who live in Malmö now but was born and grew up in Dhaka and the children who were born in Malmö but have visited Dhaka city several times to see their relative, how do they perceive/feel/realize about these two different scenarios? Their different experiences and perceptions about the physical environment in different density situation can provide a better understanding of people environment relationship, which is much needed for making “city for people”. The study mainly focuses on the three important aspects of urban environment: outdoor activities, open space and public transportation. A semi structured qualitative interview method is used to portray the experiences and perceptions of people who now are living in Malmö city but also used to live in or close to Dhaka city at any particular time of their life. After selecting the respondents into three groups (according to the criteria), nine interviews were taken (three from each group). The theoretical framework based on the definition of density from different aspects, followed by the impact of density studied by previous researchers which guided me to structure the result and analysis section. And lastly the summery with concluding remarks and conclusion part is provided for future study opportunities.
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