Exploring the Affordable Housing Solutions for the Resettlement Projects of Padma Bridge

The construction of Padma Bridge in Bangladesh has necessitated the resettlement of displaced residents, highlighting the need for affordable and sustainable housing solutions aligned with Sustainable Development Goals 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), 10 (Reduce inequality), and 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). This study aims to engage undergraduate architecture students in a design studio exercise to develop innovative housing models for resettlement projects, addressing displaced communities' social, economic, and environmental challenges. A multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) framework is introduced, integrating stakeholder data. In the design studio, students explore housing alternatives and concentrate on community-driven cooperative housing, assessing their effectiveness, feasibility, and sustainability using the MCDA framework. The exercise produces a range of housing solutions that balance affordability, sustainability, and community-centric design. Students demonstrate the potential of novel approaches to address the complex challenges displaced communities face and contribute to equitable development in Bangladesh. Engaging architecture students in developing affordable housing solutions provides valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders in resettlement. The study emphasizes the need for holistic, participatory approaches and highlights the role of innovative, sustainable housing models in enhancing the quality of life for those affected by the Padma Bridge project, aligning with the SDGs

Effects of Triangular Core Rotation of a Hybrid Porous Core Terahertz Waveguide

In this paper, we investigate the effects for rotating the triangular core air hole arrangements of a hybrid design porous core fiber. The triangular core has been rotated in anti-clockwise direction to evaluate the impact on different waveguide properties. Effective Material Loss (EML), confinement loss, bending loss, dispersion characteristics and fraction of power flow are calculated to determine the impacts for rotating the triangular core. The porous fiber represented here has a hybrid design in the core area which includes circular rings with central triangular air hole arrangement. The cladding of the investigated fiber has a hexagonal array of air hole distribution. For optimum parameters the reported hybrid porous core fiber shows a flat EML of ±0.000416 cm-1 from 1.5 to 5 terahertz (THz) range and a near zero dispersion of 0.4±0.042 ps/THz/cm from 1.25 to 5.0 THz. Negligible confinement and bending losses are reported for this new type of hybrid porous core design. With improved concept of air hole distribution and exceptional waveguide properties, the reported porous core fiber can be considered as a vital forwarding step in this field of research

Mental Model of Mothers of Adolescent Girls and Health Service Providers on HPV Vaccination in Urban Slum Areas of Dhaka, Bangladesh: A Mixed-Method Study

Background: The study aimed to explore the perception of mothers of adolescent girls and health service providers in urban slums toward HPV vaccination. Methodology: A cross-sectional mixed-method study in the slums of Rayer Bazaar, Kamlapur and Mohakhali was conducted. The quantitative part included a household survey of mothers (n=150) and service providers (n=30) through a semi-structured pre-tested questionnaire and qualitative interviews included in-depth interviews (IDI) with mothers (n=10) and key-informant interviews (KII) with service providers (n=10). Results: Around 96% of mothers had never heard of HPV, and 98% were unaware that the virus's transmission could be halted. Only 3.3% of mothers were aware that HPV can cause cervical cancer, although, during IDI, it was seen that the majority of mothers said that cervical cancer is a communicable disease. Nearly 98% of mothers wanted their daughters to get vaccinated. Service providers had a good understanding of HPV, HPV vaccine, and cervical cancer. All service providers during KII agreed that if they had received adequate training on HPV vaccination and cervical cancer, they could have treated their patients better. Conclusion: The findings of this study have important implications for the design and advocacy of HPV immunization programs in Bangladesh

Policy reform for safe drinking water service delivery in rural Bangladesh

The Government of Bangladesh has provided global leadership in progress to improved drinking water access, with an estimated coverage of 98.5% of its 160 million citizens in 2019. However, the coverage decreases to 42.5% when service delivery accounts for indicators of water quality, proximity and sufficiency (UNICEF/MICS, 2019). This report seeks to support the Government of Bangladesh in its review and reform of the 1998 National Policy for Safe Water Supply and Sanitation, and to introduce the ‘SafePani’ model as one responseto achieving SDG 6.1 in rural areas. The design of the SafePani model is informed by collaborative work of the REACH programme with national and local partners in the coastal zone (Khulna) and central plains (Chandpur). Interdisciplinary research reveals intersecting challenges – hydroclimatic and water quality risks, public finance and private enterprise, and social and spatial inequalities – and highlights opportunities for reforms in policy and practice

COMMUNITY BASED APPROACHES TO RESILIENCE: RESPONSE TO VULNERABILITY OF COASTAL HABITAT IN CHANGING CLIMATE

<p>The coastal zone of Bangladesh is generally perceived to be a zone of multiple vulnerabilities. The people of that area are familiar with these natural activities, but recently climate change phenomenon adding fuel to these natural disasters. Although the death toll from cyclone event has been decreasing in recent years by constructing cyclone shelter  and improving early warning systems, cyclones continue to put heavy burdens on the socio-economic life of Bangladesh. Coastal habitat and livelihood of the people are severely damaged because of natural hazards and climate change. However, these seems to  be lack of overall solutions of livelihood with planned settlements for building disaster resilient community in hazard exposed areas.  This research recognizes local resources and indigenous knowledge is a domain, which provides physical, social and financial capacity of coastal people towards community resilience.  Indigenous communities living in the coastal areas for centuries have a unique cultural identity based on a close contact with nature. It is assumed that they have developed an indigenous perception of natural hazards and, thereby, possess effective survival strategies.The research also argues that community approaches to disaster management is essential for the adaptation of coastal people to take effective actions to reduce losses, damages and sufferings caused by climate change.</p&gt

Sustainability towards the Resilience of Coastal Small-Scale Fishermen: A Case Study on JALADAS of Delipara, Chattogram, Bangladesh

<p>In Bangladesh the people of the coastal area which is also known as zone of multiple hazards are primarily dependent on Agriculture for their livelihood and fishing is the second prime livelihood of coastal community. Coastal small-scale fishermen are very much unprotected towards a number of vulnerabilities which are many-folded and have a sequential impact on person"s safety and poverty level. The small-scale fishermen are the poverty-stricken vulnerable members of this stratified society (Bene, C, 2004). To reduce the vulnerability of these coastal small-scale fishing community, it is important to enhance fishers' capacities and capabilities through the reduction of poverty. This research paper has been intended to study on these small-scale fishermen through the case study approach. After a reconnaissance survey on four fishing villages "Delipara" a traditional fishing village of Hindu "Jaladas" (artisanal fisherman) was selected for detail study. From the study on the artisanal fisherman of Delipara it is found that for building a resilient fishing community it is essential to develop the socio-economic condition through reducing the poverty of that community. And to do these the following issues needs to be  considered a. Improvement of fishing through technology and accessibility to resources, b. Provision for alternative and supplemental livelihood, c. Building a disaster resilient habitat, and d. Integrating livelihood with housing and settlement. This study illustrates the existing vulnerability to risk and shocks of the fisher that interfere the livelihoods of the fishers and will illuminate on different alternative and sustainable livelihoods that can be improvised among these small-scale or artisanal fishing community to increase their level of income.</p&gt

The Strategic Design Approaches for Chittagong Hill Areas to Reduce Risks of Landslides and Exploring the Opportunity of Tourism Development

<p>Chittagong is the largest port city and second largest city of Bangladesh and contributes substantially to the economic development of Bangladesh. Chittagong is quite an attractive location. Surrounded by the rivers, hills and the sea, Chittagong possess the opportunity to uphold its image as a fascinating, multiple tourism destination where visitors can enjoy both the sea and hills. Chittagong has boundless opportunities for thousands of people living in the hilly areas. But unfortunately the hillsides are highly vulnerable to frequent and damaging landslides. Recent major landslides were caused by an extreme, higher than average, rainfall within a short period of time. Moreover rapid urbanization, increased population density, improper land use, alterations in the hilly regions by illegally cutting the hills, indiscriminate deforestation and agricultural practices are aggravating the land and contributing to landslides. The aim of this study is to assess the area's potential for landslides and explores different strategic designs measures based on assessment of risks, uncertainty, possible consequences, constructability, environmental impacts and costs. While proposing specific measures to take to prevent landslides, it is best to match the physical characteristics of the hills and the availability of materials. This study makes an effort to contribute to the development of a comprehensive design solution that can be adapted to reduce landslides and to ensure the residents' immediate safety and at the same time promote tourism development.</p&gt

Geometry Optimization of Industry Buildings for Energy-Driven Design Development in Bangladesh

Even though the manufacturing industry consumes roughly 54% of total available energy globally, little consideration has been devoted to optimizing energy in the early stages of industry design, particularly in densely populated cities. With the increased demand for green buildings, energy performance has a greater influence on design results. As a result, this paper provides an envelope optimization technique that can assist architects and computational designers in analyzing the environmental performance of various alternatives and developing optimal design solutions, especially for Bangladesh and the building of these regions. First, an existing industrial site in Dhaka, Bangladesh's capital was chosen as a case study, and a hypothetical industry building, as well as its surroundings, were parametrically developed. Then, for the optimization method, the design factors linked to the building envelopes were chosen. Finally, a Multi-objective Optimization (MOO) procedure was utilized for defining performance measures including daylighting, energy and comfort measures, UDI, EUI, and PPD. According to the MOO results, the UDI may be enhanced by 25.286% as compared to the least favorable scenario. Consequently, the EUI may decreased by 38.718 kWh/m2 while the PPD can be increased by 41.78%. The geometric configuration of East, West, North, and South played a significant role when designing the industrial building. According to the analysis, the geometric configuration of a South WWR of 50%, a West WWR of 30%, an East WWR of 70%, and a sill height of 0.75m is the most feasible option. A statistical analysis of design factors and performance measures demonstrated that the window-to-wall ratio, particularly on south walls, has the greatest impact on industrial building design in densely populated areas. The proposed approach is expected to be used by architects and municipal planners to develop design metrics based on simulation results

A Critical, Temporal Analysis of Saudi Arabia’s Initiatives for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction in the Energy Sector

The per capita greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of Saudi Arabia were more than three times the global average emissions in 2019. The energy sector is the most dominant GHG-emitting sector in the country; its energy consumption has increased over five times in the last four decades, from over 2000 quadrillion joules in 1981 to around 11,000 quadrillion joules in 2019, while the share of renewable energy in 2019 was only 0.1%. To reduce GHG emissions, the Saudi Arabian government has undertaken initiatives for improving energy efficiency and increasing the production of renewable energies in the country. However, there are few investigative studies into the effectiveness of these initiatives in improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This study provides an overview of the various energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives undertaken in Saudi Arabia. Then, it evaluates the effectiveness of energy-related policies and initiatives using an indicator-based approach. In addition, this study performs temporal and econometrics analyses to understand the trends and the causal relationships among various drivers of energy sector emissions. Energy intensity and efficiency have improved moderately in recent years. This study will support policymakers in identifying significant policy gaps in reducing the emissions from the energy sector; furthermore, this study will provide a reference for tracking the progress of their policy initiatives. In addition, the methodology used in this study could be applied in other studies to evaluate various climate change policies and their progress