Post your opinion please! If possible make ranking!

Post your opinion please! If possible make ranking!

None, in my opinion, because based on what I've seen, there's no more any residential area in its traditional sense.

Gulshan, Baridhara, Banani, Dhanmondi, Uttara and Old DOHS would be the top residential areas in Dhaka. Momahhedmur, Lalmatia, Mirpur are also popular choices.

Gulshan....if you dont mind the commercial buildings on both sides of the main road,and the traffic that comes with it.I mean if you are not ultra conservative about a Residential area being Strictly Residential,not having any commercial estabilishment at all.

However,for those who like the "All residential" areas,Baridhara is the best option.It is THE MOST "residential" area in Dhaka almost without any commercial structure.

Post your opinion please! If possible make ranking!

I don't think we've met before :) Please feel free to use the "Introduce Yourself" thread on the front page.

Though I have not lived in Dhaka for a long time, my choice would be Dhanmondi. The location is central to all areas, the restaurant / shopping choices are about as good as Gulshan, the park areas around the lake are just about the best in Dhaka, and I think there are still some open areas / sports complexes for those desiring it.

Gulshan....if you dont mind the commercial buildings on both sides of the main road,and the traffic that comes with it.I mean if you are not ultra conservative about a Residential area being Strictly Residential,not having any commercial estabilishment at all.

However,for those who like the "All residential" areas,Baridhara is the best option.It is THE MOST "residential" area in Dhaka almost without any commercial structure.

So there are no single family houses rent for office/commercial purpose, with large billboards, or a "general store" in the front, etc., in Baridhara? If so, then I stand corrected, and Baridhara does qualify as a residential area in the classic meaning. And perhaps the only one?

I don't think we've met before :) Please feel free to use the "Introduce Yourself" thread on the front page.

Though I have not lived in Dhaka for a long time, my choice would be Dhanmondi. The location is central to all areas, the restaurant / shopping choices are about as good as Gulshan, the park areas around the lake are just about the best in Dhaka, and I think there are still some open areas / sports complexes for those desiring it.

When was the last time you were in Dhanmondi, Tan? I was there barely two years ago and, everytime I've been there in the last five years, I felt I was lost in an urban jungle! Ditto for Lamatia. Gulshan, on the other hand, still has some open spaces in between all the apartment and commercial buildings.

Oh nearly forgot about it. Yes, itanvir, welcome and please do introduce yourself.

What about newly built Bashundhara near to baridhara? I haven't seen though, however, I heard it could be 1st choice for residents. Have you people seen it? How is it?

So there are no single family houses rent for office/commercial purpose, with large billboards, or a "general store" in the front, etc., in Baridhara? If so, then I stand corrected, and Baridhara does qualify as a residential area in the classic meaning. And perhaps the only one?

General store-Not even one

Large Billboards-A few

Houses being used for commercial purposes-a few..the number is negligible

What about newly built Bashundhara near to baridhara? I haven't seen though, however, I heard it could be 1st choice for residents. Have you people seen it? How is it?

Bashundhara is very new compared to the other areas.It cannot at this stage rival the affluent neighbourhoods of Gulshan and Baridhara.However,Bashundhara is developing nicely,and maybe the best choice for people who are investing in the future.

Gulshan, Baridhara, Banani--

Bashundhara is very new compared to the other areas.It cannot at this stage rival the affluent neighbourhoods of Gulshan and Baridhara.However,Bashundhara is developing nicely,and maybe the best choice for people who are investing in the future.
dude have you been there? the lanes are very narrow compared to gulshan and baridhara

i'd say the best residential area in dhaka is banani dohs (old dohs)

Anyone know who lives in this place.

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj50/amar11372/0265.jpg

Anyone know who lives in this place.

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj50/amar11372/0265.jpg
the guy who owns this house is a very powerful person, but seldom comes to the limelight, atal bihari vajpayee came to his sons wedding

the guy who owns this house is a very powerful person, but seldom comes to the limelight, atal bihari vajpayee came to his sons wedding

You kidding me? I thought it was a church or a temple or something of that sort. It is someone's private home, in Dhanmondi? Wow!

You kidding me? I thought it was a church or a temple or something of that sort. It is someone's private home, in Dhanmondi? Wow!

I don't think that person actually lives there, it just another property of his/her

I heard people call this thing "Khaza's house". Not sure, but I remember reading somewhere this was built during Ershad's period without proper permission of DCC. Looks swanky at night though...

You kidding me? I thought it was a church or a temple or something of that sort. It is someone's private home, in Dhanmondi? Wow!
yeah it used to be one, till the person donated it, i am pretty sure that its a mosque now

i hear the dude who owns it is from the nawab family of dhaka

^^ Its definitely not a mosque.

^^ Its definitely not a mosque.
i aint sure about it but i have heard that they donated it

You kidding me? I thought it was a church or a temple or something of that sort. It is someone's private home, in Dhanmondi? Wow!

No, it is definitely a house. It was built around 1990...I used to go school on the opposite bank. One of our very rich citizens with not a very modest taste. I don't know his name but did hear his son died from drug overdose...not sure how true the story is, though.

Best residential area? Why not make this a poll. In my opinion its the areas surrounding Gulshan Lake.

Some sectors in Uttara seems good too.

I vote for Baridhara.

I vote for Baridhara.

Welcome to the forum saffy.

Welcome Saffy!

What about Shahzadpur near to Gulshan. Anyone can please clarify this area for residential? How developed is it? Looks like commercial, I didn't visit though.

Gulshan- 2, above the circle and Baridhara.

But I can't afford to be there!!!

Anyone know who lives in this place.

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj50/amar11372/0265.jpg

If am not wrong, its the gentleman that used to own "Ajker Kagoj". Retd. Colonel Ahmed. Yup, his son's wedding was a Bollywood style event (maybe more!)

The name of the owner is "Sher e Khwaja." He is a follower of Khwaja Baba of Ajmer. That's all I know about the owner.

Definitely Gulshan,Baridhara has nice apartments for ultra rich people, but the plot size is small..

Some sectors in Uttara seems good too.

Uttara was nice in the late 90's and early 2000. Now it is just another one of Dhaka's mindless residential/commercial/slum area. The so called lake is a cesspool of human garbage and there's hardly any place to walk due to the ever increasing number of rickshaws and other vehicles. The only advantage is the airport being close by allows for a quick trip home.

What about Shahzadpur near to Gulshan. Anyone can please clarify this area for residential? How developed is it? Looks like commercial, I didn't visit though.

Never heard of Shahzadpur. What is the exact location and when did it come up?

It has to be Baridhara by a long shot. I also enjoy Eskaton, especially Gardens for some weird reason!

Never heard of Shahzadpur. What is the exact location and when did it come up?
I don't know if he is joking or being serious but Shahzadpur is after the US Embassy (coming from Gulshan) and on way to Malibagh and it is in no way the best "residential" area in Dhaka. I am pretty sure it has one of the highest crime rates in the city. Or he may be referring to a new Shahzadpur which I have no clue about.

And for me Gulshan-2 (after crossing the Banani-Gulshan signal to be more specific) is the best residential area in Dhaka. I believe it is the most expensive as well and no I don't live there :) The reason why I pick Gulshan over Baridhara is simply because there is more stuff to do in Gulshan. All the top restaurants are in Gulshan plus Westin is a cool place to chill out.

But if you want quiet and peaceful living (unlike me) then Baridhara beats Gulshan hands down or any other area for that matter.

The name of the owner is "Sher e Khwaja." He is a follower of Khwaja Baba of Ajmer. That's all I know about the owner.

Was pleasantly surprised to know I was wrong. Never really heard of Sher e Khwaja. The building is impressive. A quick search told me who he is. Obviously he is in possession of substantial wealth. The man enjoys attention. Is the guy still active ? He does have old pics on his site, but the latest one is like 10 yrs ago.

Dhanmondi for me.

Dhanmondi for me.

LOL...
except the fact that every second building is either a school, University, shopping center or fast food/restaurant...

The reason why I pick Gulshan over Baridhara is simply because there is more stuff to do in Gulshan. All the top restaurants are in Gulshan plus Westin is a cool place to chill out.


Not really. The restaurants in Gulshan are just freakin expensive thats what it is. Theres better eateries in Dhanmondi. And its kind of sad that a 5-star hotel is a good place to 'chill out'.

LOL...
except the fact that every second building is either a school, University, shopping center or fast food/restaurant...

It still has its charm and is more a place of culture with places like Bengal Gallery, Alliance Francaise, Goethe Institute, Iranian Cultural Center, Mukto Moncho. Older part of the city is also nearby.

Uttara was nice in the late 90's and early 2000. Now it is just another one of Dhaka's mindless residential/commercial/slum area. The so called lake is a cesspool of human garbage and there's hardly any place to walk due to the ever increasing number of rickshaws and other vehicles.

Which is just like any other area in Dhaka. Its actually still one of the better parts of the city. The commercial areas are all by the main highway.

I think it really depends on what you are looking for. I have to agree with King Nothing that it is Dhanmondi. Yes, there are a lot of schools, malls, restaurants, etc but is that always a bad thing? I feel like everything is within reach from Dhanmondi...well at least for those of us with roots in the city. Going towards Dhaka Uni you have places like elephant road and new market and whatnot that women always seem to go to for their tailoring needs. If you are looking for more upscale then Basundhara City isn't too far away. If you have family in the older parts of the city then it isn't too inconvenient to visit them (or vice-versa). Also, there are some areas where it does feel residential.

But yeah..I have to say that it has nothing to offer for our wealthy friends that prefer to "chill out" at a shiny, new five-star hotel...haha

I think it really depends on what you are looking for. I have to agree with King Nothing that it is Dhanmondi. Yes, there are a lot of schools, malls, restaurants, etc but is that always a bad thing? I feel like everything is within reach from Dhanmondi...well at least for those of us with roots in the city. Going towards Dhaka Uni you have places like elephant road and new market and whatnot that women always seem to go to for their tailoring needs. If you are looking for more upscale then Basundhara City isn't too far away. If you have family in the older parts of the city then it isn't too inconvenient to visit them (or vice-versa). Also, there are some areas where it does feel residential.

But yeah..I have to say that it has nothing to offer for our wealthy friends that prefer to "chill out" at a shiny, new five-star hotel...haha

Dhanmondi traffic is nightmare, Gulshan is so much better.

^^ Not really. Gulshan traffic is equally bad.

Was pleasantly surprised to know I was wrong. Never really heard of Sher e Khwaja. The building is impressive. A quick search told me who he is. Obviously he is in possession of substantial wealth. The man enjoys attention. Is the guy still active ? He does have old pics on his site, but the latest one is like 10 yrs ago.

I remember as a young kid my dad receiving solicitations for money from the Khaja baba people. Since my family is very much anti peer, we never sent anything but lots of people did and still do till this day. I'm wondering if this Sher e Khwaja was one of the solicitors because the title of Sher(lion/tiger ) apparently is bestowed on someone who either collects or donates big amounts.

^^ Not really. Gulshan traffic is equally bad.

I don't get tired from Dhaka-Chittagong journeys but I do need a nap after returning from Dhanmondi., but as far development is concerned, the two areas are in par.

^^
I agree, Gulshan traffic is much better......the only place i had to stop is in circle 1 & 2 signals thts it.

^^ Not really. Gulshan traffic is equally bad.

I lived half my life in Dhanmondi (right near the Bangabandhu house, Rd 32 old 11 new) and lived one quarter in gulshan. From my own experience I will say that Gulshan has a very bad traffic almost all day (except the Road to nowhere near Australian Embassy, Spit fire, Scholastica etc)....but Dhanmondi is not bad throughout the day compared to Gulshan but it is worse than Gulshan at certain peak hours when school starts and ends.
But I am talking from my experience 4 years back and definately a lot has changed i guess...

I lived half my life in Dhanmondi (right near the Bangabandhu house, Rd 32 old 11 new) and lived one quarter in gulshan. From my own experience I will say that Gulshan has a very bad traffic almost all day (except the Road to nowhere near Australian Embassy, Spit fire, Scholastica etc)....but Dhanmondi is not bad throughout the day compared to Gulshan but it is worse than Gulshan at certain peak hours when school starts and ends.
But I am talking from my experience 4 years back and definately a lot has changed i guess...

Somebody told me that all schools/educational institutions and other commercial entities have been ordered to relocate outside of Dhanmondi. Is it true?

I lived half my life in Dhanmondi (right near the Bangabandhu house, Rd 32 old 11 new) and lived one quarter in gulshan. From my own experience I will say that Gulshan has a very bad traffic almost all day (except the Road to nowhere near Australian Embassy, Spit fire, Scholastica etc)....but Dhanmondi is not bad throughout the day compared to Gulshan but it is worse than Gulshan at certain peak hours when school starts and ends.
But I am talking from my experience 4 years back and definately a lot has changed i guess...

I live in Gulshan(between gulshan 1 and 2) and often go to Dhanmondi.From my experience,Gulshan's traffic situation is WAY better than Dhanmondi's,not least because of the ban enforced on rickshaws on the main roads(not true for everywhere in dhan.).Traffic in gulshan in evening peak hours could rival that in Dhanmondi,but aside from that,traffic here is way better.

Returning to the topic,I think Baridhara is the best and the only true residential area in Dhaka(with very limited commercial buildings and almost no traffic jam).I go to baridhara parl almost every other day and i can tell u that even in the peak evening hours,Baridhara is as quiet as ever.My second fav residential area is Gulshan and third Banani,Uttara being the fourth.

^^
There isn't any "residential area" anymore, in Dhaka, in its traditional sense, is there? All districts (areas) in the metropolis are residential as well as commercial. The Dhanmondi and Gulshan of the yester years, as I remember when I left Bangladesh, were the true residential areas.

I live in Gulshan(between gulshan 1 and 2) and often go to Dhanmondi.From my experience,Gulshan's traffic situation is WAY better than Dhanmondi's,not least because of the ban enforced on rickshaws on the main roads(not true for everywhere in dhan.).Traffic in gulshan in evening peak hours could rival that in Dhanmondi,but aside from that,traffic here is way better.


I dont think so. I find both areas to have equally bad traffic. Banning rickshaws makes it difficult to move around in Gulshan and I enjoy rickshaw rides a lot. If you ban rickshaws the same ppl using rickshaws previously will now be using motorized transport. Banning rickshaws wont do shit in Dhaka.

Gulshan is a much bigger place than Dhanmondi too. While the inner places might be better Gulshan Avenue and Kamal Ataturk Avenue all the way past the gol-chottor to the US Embasy has awful traffic always.

I live in Gulshan(between gulshan 1 and 2) and often go to Dhanmondi.From my experience,Gulshan's traffic situation is WAY better than Dhanmondi's,not least because of the ban enforced on rickshaws on the main roads(not true for everywhere in dhan.).Traffic in gulshan in evening peak hours could rival that in Dhanmondi,but aside from that,traffic here is way better.

Returning to the topic,I think Baridhara is the best and the only true residential area in Dhaka(with very limited commercial buildings and almost no traffic jam).I go to baridhara parl almost every other day and i can tell u that even in the peak evening hours,Baridhara is as quiet as ever.My second fav residential area is Gulshan and third Banani,Uttara being the fourth.

I soo agree with you bro, and u knw why Baridhara got the least traffic? cuz thts where I live :D

btw, talking about traffic, Eid is coming and hopefully, Dhaka's roads are gna be empty-like, so Mirza bhai, could u take some road pics please?? :) I'd love to see some hehe cuz i miss it alot..... and tht includes the traffic light scenes too ;)

I dont think so. I find both areas to have equally bad traffic. Banning rickshaws makes it difficult to move around in Gulshan and I enjoy rickshaw rides a lot. If you ban rickshaws the same ppl using rickshaws previously will now be using motorized transport. Banning rickshaws wont do shit in Dhaka.

I think rickshaws should be banned from all major roads in Dhaka cities and high tax should be imposed on all private cars. I personally like riding in private cars and rickshaws aswell, the first because my driver takes care of the whole point A to point B travel and the second one because rickshaw is much better than walking in streets of Dhaka with no proper sidewalks.

But the reality is both rickshaw and private cars are major reasons for traffic jam in Dhaka. Rickshaws are slow and sometimes occupy 3 out of 4 lanes in road as we have thousands of them, whereas private cars usually take 1-2 passengers but take up a lot of the road space. We need to encourage mass transportation like buses and double deckers and implemement an extensive subway system. Sidewalks should also be created around the city and kept vendor free, this will encourage people to walk for short distances.

^^
second tht :)

I think rickshaws should be banned from all major roads in Dhaka cities and high tax should be imposed on all private cars. I personally like riding in private cars and rickshaws aswell, the first because my driver takes care of the whole point A to point B travel and the second one because rickshaw is much better than walking in streets of Dhaka with no proper sidewalks.

But the reality is both rickshaw and private cars are major reasons for traffic jam in Dhaka. Rickshaws are slow and sometimes occupy 3 out of 4 lanes in road as we have thousands of them, whereas private cars usually take 1-2 passengers but take up a lot of the road space. We need to encourage mass transportation like buses and double deckers and implemement an extensive subway system. Sidewalks should also be created around the city and kept vendor free, this will encourage people to walk for short distances.

I don't know how true this is but I have heard that during the lean times (Monga) lots of idle people from North Bengal come to Dhaka in droves and become rickshaw pullers. This is their only way to survive the misery of having no job and no way to feed their families. Many of them have never been to a big city and most often don't even know the addresses and locations of Dhaka's thoroughfares. Along with that, I doubt they know any rules of the road.

Unless the govt. can do something for these poor folks, I don't see how you can remove the rickshaw menace from Dhaka's roads.

I don't know how true this is but I have heard that during the lean times (Monga) lots of idle people from North Bengal come to Dhaka in droves and become rickshaw pullers. This is their only way to survive the misery of having no job and no way to feed their families. Many of them have never been to a big city and most often don't even know the addresses and locations of Dhaka's thoroughfares. Along with that, I doubt they know any rules of the road.

Unless the govt. can do something for these poor folks, I don't see how you can remove the rickshaw menace from Dhaka's roads.

On the long term the government needs to find jobs for the whole population of Bangladesh. We need massive industrialization to get people employed across the country.But this will take few decades, since we have 160 million people and there will be 20-30% of the population in poverty in forseeable future, we simply can't wait to get all of them employed before stopping rickshaws in Dhaka.

I think the short term (1- 5 years) plan should be to gradually phase out rickshaws from the major roads, and find alternate employment for only those rickshawpullers in different industry. If there is no rickshaws in Dhaka city, the monga hit people of North Bengal will have to find alternate employment.

When I was in Bangalore I didn't see a single cycle rickshaw in the street, but there are poor people in rural India aswell. Infact even Kolkata has banned rickshaws from major roads.

Usually the ones calling for rickshaw bans are the ones who travel by car all the time. However heres a piece of research that shows banning wont be a good idea.

A big no to flyover and subway in Dhaka

Dr. Mohammad Shakil Akther

Yes, you are reading it right, though general knowledge and common sense lead us to the opposite and that is the problem. Transport planning and management is not general knowledge and common sense. It is a complex multi-disciplinary science and need scientific research to solve the problems. Since early 1990s several studies (Dhaka Integrated Transport Study, DITS; Dhaka Urban Transport Plan, DUTP and Strategic Transport Plan for Dhaka, STP) were taken by government to solve the traffic problem in Dhaka. The latest in the line is controversial Strategic Transport Plan prepared and accepted by government despite vigorous opposition from professionals and civil society. Interestingly data of STP does not even support flyovers and subway in Dhaka.

The National Land Transport Policy which was adopted in 2004 also does not support flyover and subway. In section nine (Policies for Dhaka) of the policy it was stated that bus service and pedestrian would be prioritized and commuter rail would be introduced. On the issue of Mass Transit (subway, elevated expressways) it suggested for studies before planning and implementation. STP is one of those studies. Before going into detail let us check some facts on Dhaka transport (Tables 1-3). Some important information we could derive from these tables. For example, 46% of the trips are for 'other' purpose (Table 1). Though the term 'other' is not clearly defined, one could easily conclude that a good percentage of these trips are for shopping and incidentally the average length of these trips is longest (Table 2). The important trip for education is short distance (almost walkable and easily non-motorized able).

Table 3 is not from STP, but from DUTP as no such data regarding road space is provided in STP documents. Some important information could be deducted from this table. It shows a little over 3% (around 9% of vehicular traffic) is performed by cars though it occupies almost 40% of total road space. Bus and rickshaw occupied around 7% and 41% of road space carrying more than 28% and 53% of traffic. This clearly shows that car is the source of congestion, not bus and certainly not rickshaw. On the other hand these two are helping to ease congestion. So flyover would eradicate traffic problem is not based on fact; rather there is high probability that it would increase congestion. For example, to eradicate traffic congestion in Bangkok Thai government implemented an ambitious plan of series of flyovers with metro (consisting of underground and elevated rail) in and around Bangkok in the early 1990s. However it did not eradicate problem instead it encouraged people to buy more car. In boom period 1000 cars were added daily in Bangkok traffic and now congestion of 1980s is returning to Bangkok.........

Read the rest of the article here

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=113928

Usually the ones calling for rickshaw bans are the ones who travel by car all the time. However heres a piece of research that shows banning wont be a good idea.



Read the rest of the article here

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=113928

This article is interesting and has some similarities with a study done by the University of Minnesota. Basically the gist is if you build massive roads, people will buy cars to occupy the newly built roads and soon the congestion will return. What is needed is a good balance of public transportation and sufficient number of roads.

In Dhaka's case, we never had the required roadways to start with and so it is imperative that the govt. undertake projects to increase the percentage.

1.gulshan 2
2.baridhara
3.old dohs
4.banani(northern part-part of banani which is in the banani bidyaniketon,graveyard side )
5.uttara sec4

1 and 4 are not really solely residential areas anymore?

1 and 4 are not really solely residential areas anymore?
then do we have a dedicated residential area at dhaka city corp.?

^^
Baridhara DOHS
Mohakhali DOHS

there is no best residential area in dhaka, it all depends where you commute to the most on a regular basics, if you go to motijheel then staying in old dhaka will be more fesable and or around komolapur

if you commute to gulshan/banani then these places along with badda, mohakhali, niketnan, rampura and tejgoan will be your best option

and if you travel to uttara lot might as well live there.


all neighbourhoods these days high end low end middle income are being converted to box'ed apartments you can hardly see the sun being inside these buildings