Category B-5 Honorable Mention

Category B-5: Specialized Buildings
Honorable Mention

Award credit: Rafiq Azam
Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Photography: Asif Salman, City Syntax

Rasulbagh Children’s Park is located in Azimpur, Old Dhaka, Bangladesh, a very dense neighborhood with almost 40,000 people living within a half kilometer radius. Over the last thirty years, due to improper maintenance, persistent flooding, illegal occupation, anti­social activities, and vagrancy, the 0.66-acre park (which translate to about 0.066 square meters per head) not only became a non-functioning site of urban mayhem, but also something of a headache and eyesore for its host community. 

As one of the thirty-one park projects that fell within the scope of Jol Shobuje Dhaka, a green project launched by Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) to revitalize parks and playgrounds, Rasulbagh Children’s Park was one of the most challenging one. The project was set in motion with the design philosophy, “Trust and Respect,” calling for several conversations, meetings, workshops, and presentations with the community before project plans were finalized. 

Three major aspects have been addressed with the completion of this project. The first is water management via a new rainwater collection trench that harvests and filters 100,000 liters (which works out to 250 millimeters per day) of excess water to reroute it to newly added public facilities and the nearby mosque after funneling sewage out of the system. The second is community relations, to kindle renewed trust and respect among locals. This was spurred by dismantling the north boundary wall and granting round-the-clock accessibility. The newly built promenade, walkways, orchards, and restored playing fields make the park a community courtyard for all. The third is functionality, which has been established by freeing up the illegally occupied veterinary clinic building by the park and transforming it into a multipurpose facility with a library, gym, women's club, filter room, councilor's office, rooftop coffee shop, and other facilities. These changes and the collective efforts of those involved in the project have filled the air once again with the musical giggling of children and made this once run-down park a celebration of the community.