Revisited Khatunganj: A Multilayered Awesome Approach to Wholesale Trade Revival

Revisited Khatunganj: A Multilayered Awesome Approach to Wholesale Trade Revival is the new featured Student Project in Arch-Bangla.
Project Title: Kodifying Khatunganj: A Multilayered Approach to Wholesale Trade
Revival Duration: 14 weeks
Student Name: Md. Akibur Rahman Sikder,  Studio: X _ Thesis Project
Institute: Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka.
Supervisor’s: Ar. Patrick D’Rozario and Ar. Nayna Tabassum.
Site Location: Khatunganj Wholesale Market, Chattogram, Bangladesh
Macro-Meso Scale Proposal Site Area: 42 Acre
Micro Scale Proposal Site Area: 8 Acre

Project Brief: Kodifying Khatunganj: A Multilayered Approach to Wholesale Trade

Khatunganj, a historic wholesale trade hub in Chattogram, Bangladesh, has thrived for decades due to its strategic location near the Karnaphuli River, Chaktai Canal, and Chattogram Sea Port. Renowned for its bustling commerce in spices, garments, and hardware, this market exemplifies traditional trade dynamics within a modernizing urban fabric. However, rapid and unregulated urban expansion has given rise to significant challenges, including disrupted waterways, inefficient plot sizes, land encroachment, inadequate transport infrastructure, and a lack of pedestrian-friendly zones. These issues threaten not only the operational efficiency of Khatunganj but also its historical and cultural essence.

This project adopts a multilayered urban redevelopment framework to address these challenges and revive Khatunganj as a resilient, efficient, and historically enriched wholesale market. The research methodology combines extensive secondary research with primary data collection through field surveys, stakeholder interviews, and mapping exercises. Observations from on-site investigations identified critical connection points, including congested roads, unorganized plot divisions, and the diminishing utility of the Chaktai Canal as a trade route.

Revisited Khatunganj: Design Considerations

Design interventions were conceptualized across three scales—macro, meso, and micro—focusing on urban infrastructure, spatial reorganization, and heritage conservation. Macro-level solutions involve redesigning road networks to enhance vehicular and pedestrian flow, reactivating the canal through pollution control and waterway management, and introducing interconnected pedestrian pathways.

At the meso level, broader plots are designed as centralized hubs for showcasing units and storage facilities, promoting efficient goods handling. Narrower plots are reimagined to house combined shop-and-storage layouts with optimized circulation for loading and unloading activities by in-house hand-cart track.

Micro-level strategies delve into detailed shop layouts with fire safety measures, façade preservation to maintain architectural heritage, and the creation of vibrant canal-front activity zones to reconnect the community with the waterfront.

The process was iterative, combining theoretical research with practical design workshops involving local stakeholders to ensure culturally and contextually appropriate solutions. By addressing these challenges through infrastructure upgrades, improved goods-handling systems, and user-centric design, the project offers a replicable model for sustainable urban trade hubs. The multi-scalar approach holistically integrates heritage conservation, urban functionality, and environmental sustainability, setting a precedent for revitalizing historic trading districts.

• AUTHOR DETAILS
  Akibur Rahman Sikder ,B. Arch(BUET), Adjunct Lecturer (Sonargaon University)
• Mobile No: 01879734247
• Mail ID:aakibsikder@gmail.com
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