ABSTRACT
The cities of Old Delhi and Old Dhaka are frequently depicted as congested, filthy, formless, functionally obsolete, lacking public green space, and possessing narrow twisted streets. All of these criticisms appear true if someone looks from non-indigenous insights. But deep beneath there is an archetypal spatial structure that has functioned since their establishment as cities, where traditional hierarchies and organic spatial structures form a rich mix of indigenous morphology. This study focuses on these spatial dynamics of the urban structure of these two indigenous cities, where a high density of people living, working, and socialising within a self-contained community bondage. Further de-layering of these (so-called) chaotic urban patterns reveals a meaningful spatial structure, which provides valuable clues to the resolution of planning, housing and related community development problems arising from the continuing rapid rate of urbanisation.
