Urban Society
Meet Bangladesh - Bangladesh 101:
In 1988 about 18 percent of the population lived in urban areas, most
of which were villages or trade centers in rural areas. Urban centers grew in
number and population during the 1980s as a result of an administrative
decentralization program that featured the creation of subdistricts. In
appearance these small urban areas were generally shabby. Most of the urban
population merely congregated in ramshackle structures with poor sanitation and
an almost total lack of modern amenities. Towns were populated mostly by
government functionaries, merchants, and other business personnel. Most
dwellings contained nuclear families and some extended family lodgers. A few
households or a neighborhood would constitute a para, which might develop
some cohesiveness but would have no formal leadership structure. With the
exception of a small number of transients, most town populations consisted of
permanent inhabitants who maintained connections with their ancestral villages
through property or family ties. Most towns had social and sporting clubs and
libraries. Unlike in the rural areas, kinship ties among the town population
were limited and fragile.
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