The shift in cultural matrix distorted the historic city while Dhaka lost its topographical and hydrological\ud
character due to the increasing demand for transformation of land for urban uses. Instead of safeguarding,\ud
the politico-bureaucracy distorted and closed Dhaka's major public open spaces to erase the associated\ud
historical meanings and restricted access to urban space for the majority who struggle to survive along the\ud
poverty line. As the state of adventurer's capitalism marked by the impulse of acquisition through exploitation of political or bureaucratic opportunities degraded land into mere property accessible to a few; Dhaka failed to transform into a place of opportunity for all.\ud
Thus, Dhaka failed to address the issues of social integration and to create a visible structure of its cultural identity. Instead of clearing the confusions intrinsic of long foreign rules and reestablishing a cultural identity that belongs to the land and its people, the political parties preferred to exploit the distortions inflicted by separation of pragmatic and mythical space and continued use of religious symbols to their benefit. The broad objective of the thesis is to formulate guidelines and evaluation criteria for new projects so that they might help Dhaka to transform into a city that:\ud
i. concretizes shared values and understandings,\ud
ii. makes communal life possible and meaningful, and\ud
iii. is inclusive and creates opportunities for growth and prosperity for the common peopl