A growing population with rising per capita income has intensified the competition for limited land in Bangladesh. As regulation of land use is largely absent in rural areas, agricultural land use is getting indiscriminately converted into non-agricultural uses. This conversion is threatening agro-based food security of the country in general and of the rural households in particular. Regarding this issue, the current government has emphasized the rural homestead as a ‘production unit’ of agro-farming. As an important source of food and nutrition, homestead farming is an integral part of rural settlements where women play a vital role. However, in most of the cases, it is done in an un-integrated and rudimentary manner. As a result, they are unable to yield the maximum from homestead farming. In this context, the research focuses on designing integrated homestead agro-farming based on case studies of two homesteads of a typical village in Batiaghata, Khulna. With an exploratory approach the research methodology is designed with a three-stage framework. Stage I includes investigation of the categories and needs of agro-products focusing on the role of women in production, processing, management and consumption; Stage II includes exploration of existing spatial-morphological patterns and extent of different types of agro-farming; while Stage III includes development of design schemes for integrated homestead agro-farming. Based on the triangulation of findings, this research contributes strategic physical-spatial design considerations for integrated homestead agro-farming towards ensuring household food security in a socially sustainable and agro-ecologically resilient manner.

Apart from economic and environmental significance, public spaces have been argued to be one of the most important integrants of urban life for their social role. Nonetheless, a large number of public spaces in different contexts do not promote heterogeneity and lack in publicness. The exclusion of the marginal people from using public space has become a rising issue. However, built environmental design and management play significant roles in contributing to this exclusionary nature in state-owned but privately operated public spaces. To assess the extent and depth of exclusion, this study initially investigates the user condition of the park, who comes to the park, the number of visitors, and above all, the presence of marginal people. Later, with the indicators of accessibility, the study explores the shortcomings of design and management aspects, which are responsible for exclusion. This qualitative research employs a case study approach and uses observation and interview methods in the urban context of Bangladesh. Empirical data is collected from Linear Park in Khulna, a recently developed riverfront park by Khulna City Corporation (KCC) which is leased to a private organization. Findings from this study reveal that different roles of both public and private bodies are responsible for diminishing publicness in both development and use phases. Accordingly, design and management considerations for such urban parks need to be revised to ensure the public space is more comprehensive and inclusive to serve the diverse groups of people.

The increasing consumption of non-renewable energy and consequent global warming calls for use of renewable energy at scale. Bangladesh is moving toward ensuring renewable energy for all households by 2025 and has already been ranked 2nd in the world in providing off-grid solar home systems. Yet, national energy generation is largely dependent on fossil fuels and covers about one-third of the rural households. Driven by thriving economic development, villages of Bangladesh are experiencing rapid socio-economic-spatial transformation. However, most of the rural population lives with short of energy and safe water which is the main obstacle in sustainable transformation of rural settlements. To compensate for this shortage, they rely on traditional renewal energy sources such as biomass and solar energy to meet their daily needs. Regarding this energy-water scenario, this research aims to explore the potential of planning renewable energy integrated homestead from a physical-spatial design perspective taking a typical village as the case. With a multidisciplinary-exploratory approach the research is designed with a two-fold methodological framework: 1) investigation of existing energy status (consumption, needs and affordability) and water security (usage, sources and quality); 2) mapping spatial patterns of available energy and water services; and 3) exploration of existing homestead morphology to examine the scope of integrating renewable energy and rainwater harvesting systems in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Based on the triangulation of findings from these investigations, the research develops a Renewable Energy and Safe Water Integrated Spatial Model towards sustainable transformation of rural settlements.