Effects of Growth on Urban Morphology and Land Use Pattern in Mymensingh: A Historic Town of Bangladesh

Abstract

This study explores the effects of urban growth and morphological transformation on land use pattern of a historic town of Bangladesh, Mymensingh by analyzing the changes of land use pattern and urban morphology through Space Syntax analysis. Mymensingh, one of the oldest and historic towns of Bangladesh, lies along the river Brahmaputra. The town was developed as an urban area during the period of British colonists more than two hundred years ago. The juxtaposition of the land uses by the British colonists along with the local inhabitants created a different and unique types of land use pattern within the town area where local establishments were in-filled within the colonial establishments. Through ages, due to the natural process of urban growth the town expands and the small colonial town turns into a larger one but the study result shows that still the strong effects of historic developments both local and colonial and the presence of the river acts as a strong guiding force for the growth and transformation of the town.