Urban River Spaces in Jhenaidah, Bangladesh public ghat, South Asian riverfront architecture photos
Urban River Spaces in Jhenaidah
2 June 2022
Architect: Co.Creation Architects / Khondaker Hasibul Kabir
Location: Bangladesh, South Asia
Community-driven project public realm in Jhenaidah

Photos: Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Asif Salman (photographer)
Urban River Spaces in Jhenaidah in Bangladesh
The community-driven project provides public spaces in the riverine city with 250,000 residents; over time, access to and use of the river and banks had become impeded.

To date, the project comprises two ghats ? steps leading down to platforms at the river, with adjacent walkways ? and the opening of obstructed pedestrian pathways leading to them. The ghat was built with brick and concrete by local masons. It was designed with respect for the local topography:

Locally available materials such as brick and concrete were used in the simple, contextual designs, all built by local builders and masons; the site-specific projects retain all existing trees and vegetation.
The architects surveyed and documented all the trees in the city in order to propose ecologically significant vegetation and enhance the area’s biodiversity. All the existing trees on-site were preserved:

Future phases focus on public use of the river area with walkways, gardens, cultural facilities and environmental efforts to increase biodiversity in the river.
The ghat has become a popular place for the loca...