Redesigning Old Dhaka Central Jail into Urban Open and Social Interaction Space for People

Abstract

Urban open space is essential in an urban area. It helps to improve the general health and well-being of the residents. Dhaka is one of the fastest-growing cities globally but the numbers of urban open spaces in this city are decreasing day by day. Old Dhaka is the oldest and most densely populated area in the city of Dhaka. Here, people do not have minimum urban open space for social interaction and for creating a neighborhood. Old Dhaka Central Jail is an abandoned jail that is situated in the Chawkbazar area of old Dhaka; the jail is currently identified as a “Brown Field” in this area. Though the space is abandoned, the jail also has some historical structures and significance. This paper examined the way to convert the jail area into an urban open space for people to interact socially. A broad field survey and observation survey were done to develop morphological analysis and also a literature study was done to develop some strategies for spatial framework.  The goal of this paper is not only creating open spaces but also proposing a process of preserving historic structures. The design has been conceptualized in a process that also solves many problems of the surrounding area.