, Sept. 18 -- Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, Executive Chairman of the Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC), on Thursday warned that cities in Bangladesh risk facing the same neglect that villages experienced in the 2000s unless urban-focused research and governance reforms are urgently prioritised.

Speaking as Chief Guest at a seminar on "Urbanisation and Bangladesh's Development: Selected Findings from BIDS-PRI Research", organised by the Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh (PRI), Dr. Rahman stressed three critical areas: ensuring data quality and stronger policy cycles, addressing interest group dynamics alongside meaningful decentralisation, and reviving district towns through effective management of smaller spaces.

"Manag...