Mapping invisible narratives for future imaginaries; in Nandipara, Dhaka and beyond

Abstract

Urban planning has long relied on maps to understand and manage spatial relations, yet mapping is never neutral. It is a political act that shapes how cities are imagined, governed, and transformed, often reinforcing dominant power structures while rendering informal realities invisible. This research investigates the potential of mapping as a critical and participatory tool to challenge such narratives and support more ecological, just, and inclusive urban transitions. Focusing on the Jirani Canal area in Nandipara, a rapidly urbanizing peripheral neighborhood in East Dhaka, the study examines how formal planning discourses overlook the everyday practices, spatial adaptations, and ecological logics of informal urban development. Nandi Para embodies many of Dhaka’s contemporary challenges, climate vulnerability, infrastructural deficits, and migratory pressures, yet also offers grounded examples of community-managed public spaces, informal circulation networks, and smallscale urban agriculture. Using a critical mapping framework, the research adopts a mixed-methods approach combining GISbased spatial analysis, historical cartographic review, participatory mapping workshops, observational fieldwork, and speculative design. It engages with multiple actors, local residents, schoolchildren, farmers, and planning professionals, to map and interpret the lived realities of the area. By analyzing contested mappings, the study surfaces “invisible narratives”: ecological corridors, informal economies, and adaptive urban strategies often omitted from official maps. Rather than producing a fixed masterplan, the thesis embraces mapping as an open-ended, reflective, and collective process that foregrounds contested space, plural knowledges, and future possibilities. The research advocates for a more participatory and speculative modes of map-making that not only document but also reimagine the city. In doing so, it contributes to a broader discourse on the role of mapping in shaping urban futures, particularly in contexts marked by informality, rapid change, and institutional fragmentation