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Transit-oriented development (TOD) is a tool that aids in achieving sustainable urban development. It promotes economic, environmental, and social sustainability by integrating land use and transportation planning. Many researchers have investigated mass rapid transit (MRT) station regions for TOD in developed cities. However, in a developing city such as Dhaka, measuring node-based TOD (TOD index) during MRT construction has been disregarded in planning future land use. Furthermore, no prior research on quantitative TOD measurement in Dhaka exists. As a result, we developed a framework for both quantitative and spatial node-based TOD measurement based on the four Ds (density, diversity, destination accessibility, and design) of the TOD concept. With 17 stations under construction, MRT 6 was selected as our study area. The TOD index was measured by nine indicators based on the four criteria (4Ds), spatially in the geographic information system (GIS). After calculating the indicators, the TOD index for each station’s 800m buffer was estimated using the spatial multi-criteria analysis (SMCA). A sensitivity analysis of four TOD scenarios was performed to check the model’s robustness. Additionally, a heatmap of the TOD index for MRT 6 was created for informed planning and policymaking. Furthermore, statistically significant hotspots (both Getis Org Gi* and Anselen Local Moran Statistics) and hotspot clusters were identified. Finally, we illustrate the station-based ranking based on the maximum TOD score. In addition, a detailed spider-web of nine indicators for 17 stations depicts sustainable TOD planning. However, regarding density and diversity, sustainable development and (re)development policies should be implemented not only for MRT 6 but for all Dhaka’s TOD regions.

VISCAL (VISSIM calibration) is an automated calibration tool for microscopic simulation parameters in VISSIM environment, based on three heuristic optimization algorithms: (a) genetic algorithm (GA); (b) simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation (SPSA); (c) simulated annealing (SA). It is developed with a goal to automate and ease the tedious process of calibration, offering greater flexibility to the users by providing control on every aspect of the calibration process. It includes multiple features for a generic application tool with the ability to test the significance of the appropriate decision parameter set for a particular network, to determine the most suitable objective function to reflect network characteristics, and to check the suitability of any of the three heuristic optimization algorithms for a particular network. VISCAL also offers four objective function choices into the system: (1) speed, (2) flow, (3) delay, and (4) multi-objective criteria. It is able to calibrate all the driving behavior parameters for any type (urban, rural) and extent of network (small or large network). However, for this study, the operation of the tool is tested by a dataset obtained from a 3.26 km freeway of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

This paper developed a first-order deterministic macroscopic model H-CTM (heterogeneous cell transmission model) based on basic cell transmission model (CTM). The methodological calibration of the ...

Safe drinking water scarcity is an acute problem in the coastal regions of Bangladesh which is mainly caused by salinity intrusion. In this context, drinking water sources are severely affected, including adverse effects on agriculture, health, fisheries and the ecosystem. This research investigates i) selected water quality parameters ii) local people's perception on drinking water scarcity iii) how local people's cope with safe drinking water scarcity. This research was conducted using local water samples, questionnaire survey of 200 households and 4 focus group discussions (FDGs) in Shyamnagar and Tala sub-district of Satkhira district. The study of the water quality parameters exposed the extreme conditions of the drinking water sources in the area. The average values of total dissolved solids (TDS), electrical conductivity (EC) and Chloride concentration (Cl − ) were found respectively 4044.12 mg/L, 7186.7 μS/cm, and 3143.6 mg/L in Shyamnagar and 2313.60 mg/L, 4390.3 μS/cm, and 1402.1 mg/L in Tala. The result of community perception reveals that local people are aware of the safe water scarcity and nearly all of them perceive that salinity is the main reason behind it. Even though there are a number of socioeconomic factors, communities have their own adaptation technologies to cope with the problem. The study concludes with the development of a community based model defining the key responsibilities of the stakeholders, including local and central government, NGOs and community people to work in a well-coordinated manner which will be effective for reducing the scarcity of the safe drinking water.