Environment & Urbanization

World leading environmental and urban studies journal

The Spatiality of Livelihoods – Negotiations of Access to Public Space in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Author(s): 
Kirsten Hackenbroch

Publisher: 
Franz Steiner Verlag

Year: 
2013

Based on a PhD thesis, this book provides readers with a nuanced account of the spatiality of livelihoods and the continuous negotiations that enable urban dwellers to access and use scarce and contested public spaces in the city of Dhaka.

Public space is an essential asset in Dhaka, not only for income-generating purposes, but also to satisfy housing needs, spend leisure time and pursue social activities. It is constantly produced and re-shaped by activities of everyday life as well as special activities, such as religious ceremonies and public holidays. Considering the very high density of Dhaka City (30,000 inhabitants per km2), it is not surprising that multiple, often conflicting interests and differential claims are made on the use of public spaces.

Using grounded theory and an ethnographic approach, this book gives an account of two settlements within Dhaka, Nasimgaon and Manikpara. It tells the stories of space dependency of the urban poor and spatial manifestations of livelihoods by illustrating the perspectives of a few individuals and their ways of using public space. The author describes their claims to be part of the city’s economy and society through e.g. vending activities, plastic drying businesses and cultural practices.

The book reveals strong patron–client hierarchies and highlights that the power of political elites combined with development pressures on public space increases the scarcity of such space. This in turn means that the space-based livelihood arrangements of the urban poor are characterized by permanent insecurity. However, it also shows that some urban dwellers who can draw upon multiple sources of political, religious, economic and social power have found a way to secure and maintain temporary and permanent claims on space.

One chapter highlights the tensions women face in adhering to their religious and cultural norms and providing (additional) household income. It shows how their spatial behaviour and their ways of moving around and dressing up differ in various stages of their lives (e.g. before and after getting married), in different locations (e.g. inside their household, in the neighbourhood, in the wider area), and in different social settings (e.g. in the presence of their husband).

The author uses many quotes to create an in-depth conversation between her empirical results and her theorization of negotiations of space, spatiality of livelihoods, spatial justice and urban informality. The book will be of particular interest to urban planners interested in a differentiated, ethnographically-informed understanding of the specific demands that various user groups have on public space.

Book note prepared by Julia Wesely

 

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