The rise of the megacity and the growth of urbanization more generally are characteristic trends of the 21st century. Projections indicate that two-thirds of the world population will indeed live in cities by 2050. These developments engender significant implications on human well-being and present both opportunities and obstacles with the city of Dhaka exemplifying the quandaries posed by megacities. This lesson was developed to promote student engagement and understanding of this phenomenon, its causes, and its consequences.
The plan of the lesson encompasses several components including working with infographics, video content, and a newspaper article and challenges students to conduct analysis, engage with arguments, and solve problems with a critical eye. It can be used as a standalone lesson or as part of a module focused on the city/urbanization (please see an activity for introducing the topic of cities here). The activities take around 90 minutes to complete. It can also be extended with additional assignments. I use it with high school students in my junior Human and Region geography course and have observed that students reflect critically on the implications - both positive and negative - regarding megacities and the connectivity associated with them.
Student Preparation for the Lesson
The first part of this lesson can be completed as a homework assignment. Students are assigned to examine this Guardian infographic about megacities and urbanization and read a Guardian article about Dhaka as an example of a "dysfunctional megacity". They are also provided with a worksheet that I developed that focuses both on understanding information presented in the materials and analyzing and critically engaging with these observations.
Part One (45 minutes)
Around ten minutes can be used at the beginning of class to provide students an opportunity to discuss the infographic from their homework assignment and what they learned from it. This includes an emphasis on eliciting students' hypotheses on why megacities are largely concentrated where they are (e.g. importance of access to the ocean for ports/trade routes, later industrialization and demographic transition of East Asia, etc...). To help illustrate the idea of a megacity, it would be useful to put it in concrete terms through, for example, examining this story of a railway market outside of Bangkok by Great Big Story or this one by the Wall Street Journal on the development of a subway in overcrowded Mumbai.
Once finished with this initial pre-discussion, the class can turn to exploring what the emergence of the megacity all means through this excellent Ted Talk by Parag Khanna on the rise of planetary urbanization and connectivity and its potential effects in solving problems related to climate change, poverty, and conflict. Employing stimulating visuals and concrete examples, the talk provides an excellent overview of the increasing connectedness of the world in terms of transportation and infrastructure and the role that megacities are serving in this process. I have developed a handout to facilitate student engagement with the speech.
After viewing, it would be beneficial to check student understanding and also pose questions for critical engagement. Khanna, for example, takes an optimistic view towards megacities and the connectivity between societies that comes with it, arguing that a global network civilization can support economic growth and peace. Students should be encouraged to come up with additional examples and evidence that support this argument. Yet students may also be asked to consider if there are any counterarguments to Khanna's perspective. Students in my classes, for example, have brought up the fact that close economic and political relations can sometimes result in governments refusing to impose sanctions against another government if the sanctions were to threaten that relationship (e.g. the global response to the death of Jamal Khashoggi at Saudi Arabia's embassy in Turkey). This may raise further discussion questions regarding how such pitfalls can be overcome.
Part Two (45 minutes)
Having engaged with the topic of megacities in a general manner, it is now time to transition into working with a concrete example - Dhaka. Around 15 minutes can be devoted to class discussion on the homework assignment: What are your general reactions to the situation in Dhaka? Why? Students should be able to highlight evidence (e.g. the over-strained drainage system) in the article that supports the argument that Dhaka is an overcrowded city, not simply a densely populated one. They should also be able to explain why Dhaka has grown rapidly and how its situation is unique compared to other megacities. And students should show familiarity with the religious demographics of the country and how that has influenced the opportunities for Sujon in consort with the Hindu caste system that places him as an outcast even among Hindus. If students haven't already explored the topic, it would be useful to acquaint them with the caste system of neighboring India, including especially its effects on Dalit people. This New York Times article is an excellent starting point.
After this pre-discussion, the lesson can move on to further interrogating the case of Dhaka through this video documentary by Global Post. An accompanying worksheet that I have developed can be found here. Students should deepen their understanding on the factors (e.g. climate change, flooding, economic opportunities) pulling people to Dhaka from the countryside and the conditions of people living there. Ensure student comprehension of the idea of the "rickshaw economy" and its pros and cons. For additional engagement with the garment industry in Bangaldesh, including the building collapse at Rana Plaza, this New York Times learning blog is recommended.
As a final discussion topic, it may be beneficial to provide students with an opportunity to re-imagine Dhaka's development. Specifically, what could have prevented Dhaka from becoming an overcrowded megacity?
Further Learning
It would be worthwhile for students to examine additional megacities including those that present contrasts with Dhaka. National Geography, for example, has produced a documentary on Singapore as a city of the future.