Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has stressed the need to ensure safe, affordable and sustainable housing for all citizens, saying adequate housing goes beyond simply providing a roof over people’s heads.

He made the remarks on Monday at a discussion marking World Habitat Day at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre.

The prime minister said sustainable housing also requires access to safe water, uninterrupted electricity, proper sanitation, reliable public transport and roads, education, healthcare and employment opportunities.

He said ensuring a safe environment for dignified living is the core objective of sustainable housing. Given Bangladesh’s high population density, providing safe and sustainable homes for everyone remains a major challenge.

Tarique Rahman noted that Dhaka and other major cities are facing increasing population pressure. He stressed the importance of developing planned, environmentally friendly cities while ensuring quality and affordable housing for low- and lower-middle-income people.

According to the prime minister, the government is preparing master plans for city corporations and districts to promote planned urbanisation. Development authorities have already been established in Sylhet, Mymensingh, Barishal, Cumilla, Rangpur and Narayanganj.

The government is also working to reduce pressure on major cities by improving affordable and safe connectivity between urban and rural areas and expanding civic amenities in villages.

Tarique Rahman said the government’s goal is not concentrated urbanisation but balanced and decentralised regional development. Plans include preparing spatial plans for the country and developing secondary townships around Dhaka.

He also emphasised environmental protection in housing development, saying planned residential areas are being developed through the National Housing Authority and other development authorities.

The prime minister said the housing crisis cannot be addressed by government initiatives alone and called for greater participation from private-sector housing developers and other stakeholders.

He expressed hope that continued implementation of the government’s housing and urban development plans would eventually make safe, affordable and sustainable housing a reality for citizens across the country.