Dhaka Delirium

Preface by Adnan Z. Morshed p.6, Foreword by Nezar AlSayyad p.7, Acknowledgments p.8, Introduction by Rahul Mehrotra p.10, 1. Historicity and Culture p.14, Dhaka's origin myth p.16, Heritage preservation and related thoughts p.20, A small piece of Armenia in Bangladesh p.25, Heritage Blues p.30, Bangladesh at a crossroads? p.32, The political algorithm of 2 1"February p.35, Cricket and nationhood p.39, Decoding Pohela Baishakh p.42, The city and its future generations p.46, Making sense of Bangladesh's World Cup obsession p.48, Finding Dhaka in New York: Nathaniel Kahn's My Architect p.53, 2. Civic Politics p.56, The anatomy of a viral picture p.58, Why Dhaka may disappear one day, like Mohenjo Daro p.61, Calming down in Dhaka East p.64, Can city design prevent terrorist attacks? p. 66, Why the mayors are crucial for the future p.70, The follies of Tadonto Committees p.74, From Washington Place to Nishchintapur p.76, 3. Architecture and Spatiality p.80, Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn visit Dhaka p.82, A symbol of architectural education in Bangladesh p.86, How politics and architecture blended in Dhaka p.89, Free up the Parliament building and history p.93, Digging a cultural grave at the National Assembly Complex p.96, An architectural gem at the political heartland p.100, Want to understand the partition of Bengal? Visit Curzon Hall p.103, A palace on the river: Ahsan Manzil p.106, Muzharul Islam, an activist architect p.110, A quiet masterpiece that serves as Dhaka's gateway p.113, A monument of Bangladesh and the world p.115, 4. Environment and Water p.118, Bolai, Avatar and our environment p.122, Living with and on water in Bangladesh p.126, Heartbreak at Sadarghat p.130, Why cities are the best weapon against climate change p.133, How compact cities can save Bangladesh p.136, What if an 8.2 earthquake hit Dhaka? p.139, 5. Urbanism and Housing Politics p.144, Global media and Dhaka's urbanization p.146, What makes a city inspiring p.151, Debunking the Smart City myth p.154, Goodbye master planning, hello bottom-up urbanism p.157, The modern tourist p.160, A post-Dhaka Bangladesh p.163, Strangers in their own yard: on Dhakas urban estrangement p.166, Housing the urban poor p.171, Living small is beautiful and necessary p.174, Why we need new housing philosophies in Bangladesh p.177, Humanizing the po0r, creating the livable city p.177, 6. Street life and Public Places p.184, Why not a national footpath policy? p.186, Will the metro rail solve Dhaka's traffic crisis? P.188, Streets of the people, by the people, for the people p.192, How do we save Dhaka streets from apocalypse? p.194, Why Dhaka is not a walkable city, yet! p.198, Rethinking the roots of Dhaka's traffic congestion p.202, The infernal modernity of Dhaka p.204, The democracy of public squares p.208, Dhaka's urban politics, Haussmann, and related thoughts p.212, Humanizing Dhaka with a civic place p.216, Bibliography p.221