The increasing importance of the informal market economy as a livelihood strategy in urban areas across developing countries, particularly in Bangladesh, secures an important position for the low- and middle-income people of a city. This study focuses on Bou Bazar market of Dhaka, Bangladesh, to examine the spatial, temporal, and managerial dynamics of a market characterized by a unique structure that combines both formal and informal elements of a market. Thus, it allows the investigation of a distinct type of market model, which has the potential to perform better than pure informal markets. The study involved Focus Group Discussion with different stakeholder groups, a series of interviews, and the utilization of different Participatory Rapid Appraisal (PRA) tools for data collection. Qualitative analysis was employed through clustering, grouping, and comparison within the collected data. Key findings include increased vendor diversity driven by growing demand, efficient use of public space with limited operating hours, improved vendor satisfaction through balancing their autonomy, external management with stakeholder collaboration and a discretionary policy of service fee which could not be assigned to any useful purpose other than exploitation. The study suggests that formal management of any informal market offers comparative advantages to ensure inclusive economic growth that can be a beneficial learning for other developing countries as well.

Tejgaon truck stand was an important logistic hub for Dhaka city for about a century. Initially it was on the outskirt of the city, as the city was much smaller spreading up to Tejgaon area on the northern periphery. However, with the growth of Dhaka city, it became surrounded by commercial and mixed land uses, and Tejgaon area became one of the central places of the city. Though the government started to control truck movement in the city during the daytime, the location of such a logistic hub in a central city area created several problems. This study looked into the environmental and traffic impacts of the logistic hub using primary data and secondary sources. The study identified noise pollution, traffic congestion, traffic speed, variability in traffic flow and road space scenarios with and without trucks. Existing policies and stakeholders’ views were also analysed through thematic analysis. The results unveiled the negative impacts of the logistic hub through noise pollution at night time and increased congestion on the access road and arterial road till midnight. Traffic speed and flow were highly affected due to illegally parked trucks on the adjacent roads caused by shortage of space within the truck stand. The analysis and discussion showed that relocation of this logistic hub could improve the traffic flow and reliability of the road traffic in the area. However, the stakeholder groups had conflicting opinions on relocation and in-situ improvements for this hub, which requires further investigation for a fruitful solution.

COVID-19 brought unprecedented challenges in the lives of people all over the world. Governments all across the globe acted actively to overcome the challenges and curb the disastrous effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The challenges were manifold in densely populated urban areas. Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is one of the most densely populated cities of the world. Local government institutions of Dhaka faced severe challenges to address COVID-related health and socio-economic issues. However, unlike the developed nations, which are quite resourceful, the local government institutions (LGIs) of the developing countries had limited resources during the pandemic. This study aimed to comprehend the level of services of the LGIs worldwide in tackling the pandemic and the differences in their activities. Extensive literature reviews were conducted for a comparative analysis of the LGIs’ initiatives in 30 developed and developing countries. Furthermore, Ward 28 of Dhaka South City Corporation was studied as a case study to assess the activities of local government institutions in Dhaka in light of the roles played by global LGIs. This ward was purposefully chosen for its unique features, such as: being one of the world’s most densely populated neighbourhoods, having a diverse employment nature and multiple local organisations that had actively worked with the LGIs, and having a high vulnerability to COVID-19 spreading. The response actions of LGIs in this ward were investigated through several key informant interviews and focus group discussions. This study reveals that both developed and developing countries’ LGIs made effective provisions for food, finance and medical aid, enforced restrictions, disseminated up-to-date information, increased awareness, and managed infectious wastes carefully to contain the virus. However, developing countries had drawbacks in direct service provisions, such as monetary assistance, home delivery of food and medicine, and community helpline service. Some commendable measures of Ward 28 of DSCC include controlling vaccination rumours and discreetly aiding respectable families. Moreover, the active participation of Community-Based Organisations is quite laudable. Strong interrelationships among stakeholders, building financial, technical and institutional capabilities, technological advancement, education, training and awareness programs are identified as some of the prerequisites for efficient pandemic management. This study’s insights can be instrumental in addressing similar crises, particularly in Asia’s developing countries.

The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic massively affected the long-distance trips all over the world. Like other countries worldwide, inter-regional mobility restrictions with the capital city were also imposed in Bangladesh to control the spread of coronavirus. Therefore, it is important to examine the changes in long-distance travel behavior to understand people's mobility needs and responses during travel restrictions, as well as the influences of individuals' socio-economic conditions and the country's COVID severity on their travel decisions. Data for this research were collected from 402 respondents in Dhaka using online questionnaires. Voluntary response and convenience sampling techniques were followed in this study. Moreover, district-wise COVID data was obtained from the dashboard of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Descriptive statistics and spatial analyses were employed in this study. In addition, binary logistic regression model and mixed-effect logistic regression model were developed to understand the underlying factors behind the changes in long-distance travel behavior during the pandemic. The findings reveal that the majority of the respondents decreased their long-distance trips during the first pandemic wave. A notable percentage of trip makers' long-distance trip patterns and mode use remained the same as their pre-pandemic situation. Access to private cars was a positive determinant for long-distance trips during the pandemic; hence, the excess cost of private transportation compelled people to use risky public transportation. The presence of elderly individuals and children in households reduced the likelihood of traveling longer distances during the pandemic. Hygiene and safety from COVID-19 contamination were the main concerns for respondents while choosing long-distance travel modes. Individuals' high-risk perception regarding COVID-19 decreased the probability of traveling longer-distance during the pandemic. In general, travelers relatively less preferred COVID hotspots as their long-distance trip destinations during the first pandemic wave. This study's recommendations will assist planners and policymakers in designing a safe and affordable long-distance transport corridor during future pandemics.

The COVID-19 outbreak created immense disruptions in our daily lives. Travel is one of the major areas severely impacted by the pandemic. Bangladesh experienced two waves of COVID-19 between March 2020 and July 2021. Although several studies focused on significant changes in the travel behavior of urban road users before and during the pandemic, hardly any research examined the differences between the two waves. Hence, it was important to study the differences in travel behavior between the two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic to understand how the effects of travel restrictions, health concerns, and the severity of the pandemic on people's travel decisions change over time. This study intends to investigate the changes in travel behavior between the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Dhaka and the factors that influence these changes. Data were collected through online questionnaire surveys using the Google form. Voluntary response and convenience sampling techniques were used to collect responses from 447 people in Dhaka. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests were conducted to analyze the data. In addition, two multinomial logistic models were developed to identify the factors behind the changes in travel behavior. This study reveals that work and shopping trips increased, whereas work-from-home and online shopping somewhat decreased during the second pandemic wave compared to the first pandemic wave. Most non-car owners who reduced their use of public transportation during the first pandemic increased their use during the second wave. There was no significant increase in the use of active transport modes for work and shopping trips in Dhaka. The perceived risk of COVID-19 infection was relatively lower during the second wave, influencing the respondents to travel more frequently for work and shopping purposes. Ensuring more adaptive public transportation, flexibility to work from home, and creating supportive infrastructures for active transport modes might help to provide a safe, affordable, and efficient transportation system for all during the future waves of the pandemic and other unprecedented events.