Creating a new image for Dhaka City

From its humble beginning as a small, backwater town during the Mughal era, Dhaka has transformed into a growing megacity and the capital of Bangladesh. As the center of all economic, political and social activities of Bangladesh, Dhaka has attracted people from all corners of Bangladesh, and there is no sign of that rate abating. Even with all the talk of decentralization of Dhaka, it still remains the principal generator of economic activity of Bangladesh. At present, Dhaka does not have a good image – people identify it as a polluted, traffic congested city with low quality of life amenities. The city needs a new brand image that will not only redefine the city, but will eventually make it an important city for the rest of the world. A better image of Dhaka can also attract more foreign investment, and tourists from abroad.

Dhaka has a unique distinction of having a large number of public and private universities that attract the best and brightest students from all over the country. By happenstance, a number of universities have clustered in certain parts of the city. This gives the universities a unique opportunity to collaborate with each other and create an environment of innovation and entrepreneurship. For example, Dhaka University, BUET, DMCH, Eden College, Dhaka College and Home Economics College are all in the same neighborhood, with a few other universities just a few miles away. Another such cluster of private universities and medical colleges are situated in the neighborhoods of Dhanmondi and Gulshan respectively. These universities can collaborate and create an innovation zone, where students and faculty members from different disciplines can work together to come up with different ideas that can solve different national problems.

The government can also encourage firms to collaborate with these universities to research and develop new products and ideas. BSCIR, the scientific institution run by the government, could have an oversight over all these institutions, and could connect the projects in these innovation zones with venture capitalists or firms. These zones should have all the facilities needed to run multiple interdisciplinary research projects. Students in those zones should be encouraged to try bold new ideas to solve different national issues, come up with new product ideas, or create a new startup. These ideas could be supported by angel investors, or adopted by the established conglomerates of Bangladesh. Seminars and workshops could be offered at these centers to train students about the business world. Such creative endeavors can lead to creation of new entrepreneurs, inventors and leaders for Bangladesh.

There are some examples of partnership between universities and the private sector to promote innovation. A number of universities in the US have collaborated with government and business enterprises to create regions to attract innovative firms and research centers. The innovation zones of Dhaka can be modelled after the MIT Media Lab, the Stanford Research Park, or the Research Triangle Park in North Carolina. These research parks have become important centers of research and innovation in the US, and have contributed immensely to the development of technology. They have also generated a lot of wealth in the regions where they are located. The innovation zones of Dhaka can be interdisciplinary in nature, so students of different fields can work together to create new technology and startups.

How can this lead to a re-branding of Dhaka city? There are a few reasons behind this. A large proportion of Bangladesh is young, and the government and development partners can do only so much to develop the country. The Bangladeshi youth need to be trained to be innovative and entrepreneurial so that they can create new ideas that can solve the national problems. In recent years, Bangladeshi youth have been increasingly attracted towards a business administration or a computer science degree, because of the belief that these degrees will land them a stable career path post-graduation. Students are less inclined to study in hard sciences, engineering, social sciences and humanities. These disciplines are also important in creating new ideas and technology that can help Bangladesh develop further. If students are provided an outlet where they can use different disciplines to create new products and services, then they will be encouraged to study different disciplines, which in turn can help Dhaka become an innovative city.

If innovative zones are created, students can apply their knowledge to create new technology, get a startup going or gain valuable experience that can make them marketable job candidates. These zones can make Dhaka a center of innovation and enterprise. New enterprises can spring up that can provide employment opportunities to the some of the millions of Bangladeshis that enter the workforce every year. Dhaka can move from being the labeled as one of the most unlivable cities in the world to a city that promotes innovation and entrepreneurship, a city that can eventually be called an ‘innovation city.’ A re-branding of Dhaka will help to improve the image of Bangladesh, bring in a lot of investment from abroad, encourage local businesses to take part in innovation, and encourage more students to undertake research. All these could have a multiplier effect and lead to a higher rate of economic growth for Bangladesh.