Urban resilience in Bangladesh: Integrating local and national planning processes

This policy brief by ICLEI South Asia examines the necessity of integrating local government actions into national planning to enhance urban resilience in Bangladesh. It highlights the gap between national policies and on-the-ground realities, recommending improved vertical integration, increased climate finance for municipalities, and technical capacity building for local officials to meet national and international climate commitments.

• Bangladesh faces severe economic and physical vulnerabilities due to climate change, with the 2020 Global Climate Risk Index ranking it seventh among the most affected countries since 1995. Economic losses over the last 40 years have reduced the annual GDP by 0.5% to 1%, and agricultural GDP is projected to decline by 3.1% annually between 2005 and 2050, totaling $36 billion.
• While Bangladesh has established several national frameworks—including the 2009 Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP), the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100, and the 2018 National Adaptation Plan—these policies often fail to reflect local realities or address the specific needs of local governments.
• There is a significant lack of vertical integration between national and local governments. Local government staff in cities such as Rajshahi and Narayanganj are often unaware of national policy goals, and cities are rarely consulted during the preparation of the national climate or development plans they are expected to implement.
• Local governments face critical financial gaps; while larger city corporations allocate some funds for climate action, no municipality has separate budget lines for it. Furthermore, the national budget allocation for environment and climate change decreased by approximately 0.03% in the 2020-2021 fiscal year.
• Technical capacity is insufficient at the local level, particularly in smaller towns like Kushtia, Singra, and Mongla. Many municipal officials, including recently hired planners, lack the necessary knowledge regarding climate change and its implications for urban development.
• The document recommends the use of resilience-building tools—such as the City Resilience Profiling Tool (CRPT), the Urban Adaptation Support Tool (UAST), and the Climate Resilience Cities Action Plan (CRCAP) methodology—to help cities assess risks and align local actions with national budgets and policies.

APA

Rashid, M. J., Sadhukhan, B., & Rashid, N. (2021). Urban resilience in Bangladesh: Integrating local and national planning processes. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Urban-Resilience-Planning-in-Bangladesh_Final.pdf

Chicago

Rashid, Md. Jubaer, Bedoshruti Sadhukhan, and Najiba Rashid. Urban resilience in Bangladesh: Integrating local and national planning processes. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2021. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Urban-Resilience-Planning-in-Bangladesh_Final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rashid |first1=Md. Jubaer |last2=Sadhukhan |first2=Bedoshruti |last3=Rashid |first3=Najiba |title=Urban resilience in Bangladesh: Integrating local and national planning processes |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=1 March 2021 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Urban-Resilience-Planning-in-Bangladesh_Final.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rashid2021urban, author = {Rashid, Md. Jubaer and Sadhukhan, Bedoshruti and Rashid, Najiba}, title = {{Urban resilience in Bangladesh: Integrating local and national planning processes}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Urban-Resilience-Planning-in-Bangladesh_Final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }