Choreographing mobilities & urban imaginaries: Case study of Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)

Abstract

Modern mega-cities are characterized by smart, efficient urban mobility infrastructures like the mass rapid transit. Yet, such infrastructural advancements are not always equitable. This paper delves into the core inquiry of how urban mobility is orchestrated in a mega-city such as Dhaka, particularly through the case study of the Dhaka Metro. We find that the introduction of the metro creates new spatial conditions and configurations for Dhaka's middle class, where tropes like gender, inclusion and economic growth are leveraged to serve the state's political agenda (and vested interests). Meanwhile, gatekeeping practices of surveillance, information policing, and muting dissent give insights into the political economy of ‘modernizing’ mega-cities. In other words, although the metro is built on public land, using public taxpayer money, for the sake of ‘public welfare’, it does not serve the masses. This illuminates the prioritization of top-down urban development and mobility imaginaries, which favour private and geopolitical interests. Consequently, working-class commuters are systematically excluded from the planning process, effectively designing them out of the city.