Department of Urban and Regional Planning, BUET

𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐲 𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞

The department is getting ready to offer the course Plan 164: Engineering Survey Field Work course to the newly enrolled BURP Batch 25 students in the January 2026 term. Batch 24 successfully completed the course in the January 2025 term. The compulsory course generally introduces undergraduates to extensive traditional and modern survey techniques, including reconnaissance survey, chain survey, plane table survey, level and levelling, traverse survey, contouring, and drone survey with RTK. In the January 2025 term, the emphasis was on imparting knowledge of advanced drone technology, followed by hands-on experience in maneuvering drones. Students were introduced to LiDAR sensors and RTK tools to achieve enhanced navigation and positioning accuracy. Equipped with state-of-the-art survey techniques, students in this course will be able to conduct surveys skillfully in their academic studies as well as in their professional planning career.

𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐳-𝐞-𝐣𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐳𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐚𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫 𝐉𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐧
The namaz-e-janaza of Professor Sarwar Jahan will be held on Saturday, 21 February 2026, after Zohr prayer at the BUET Central Mosque.

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐫. 𝐒𝐚𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫 𝐉𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲

With a heavy heart, this is to inform that Dr. Sarwar Jahan, a retired Professor of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (URP), BUET, passed away yesterday, 15 February 2026, at around 6:15 PM in the USA. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un. (Surely, we belong to Allah, and to Him we shall return).

Professor Sarwar Jahan received his Master’s degree from the Department of URP, BUET in 1978. Before that, he completed an MA degree in Economics from Dhaka University in 1974. Professor Jahan obtained a Ph.D. degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA, in 1987, and an MA degree from the University of Waterloo, Canada. During his long academic career at BUET, he contributed in various capacities, notably as Head of the Department of URP, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Planning, and founding Director of the Center for Regional Development Studies (CRDS) at BUET.

In his professional career, Professor Sarwar Jahan served the Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) in different capacities, including as a President of the 8th and 9th Executive Boards.

May Allah forgive him, shower His mercy upon him, and grant him the highest rank in Jannatul Firdaus.

𝐔𝐑𝐏 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫-𝐮𝐩 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐂 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓
Team AquaRevive from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (URP), BUET, became the 1st Runner-Up at the BRAC Water Hackathon 2025. The team consisted of batch 23 students, Nazifa Binte Hassan, Maisha Fahmida, Farhin Khan Deya, and Anika Sayed. The competition was organized by BRAC in collaboration with Global Affairs Canada (GAC), the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), to address the severe water crisis in the Barind region of Bangladesh through practical, climate-resilient, and community-focused solutions.

The Water Hackathon 2025 received a total of 341 submissions from across Bangladesh. Following a two-stage comprehensive evaluation process, the team was selected as one of the Top 10 finalists. After the final pitching round, their proposal titled “The Barind Blue Corridor Plan” secured the 1st Runner-Up position. Their proposed concept presents an innovative, community-led, and climate-resilient regional planning framework focused on restoring Barind’s abandoned rivers, canals, and surface water corridors to reduce groundwater dependency, strengthen climate adaptation, and support sustainable livelihoods. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the team!

𝐁𝐔𝐄𝐓 𝐔𝐑𝐏 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞-𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐔𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭
Nazifa Binte Hassan, a student of Level-2 Term-1 in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (URP) at BUET, has been selected as the Champion of the Call for Ideas Competition under the Innovations for Climate-smart Urban Development (INCLUDE) project.
INCLUDE is a citizen-driven innovation program that invites individuals, community groups, NGOs, educational institutions, and private-sector actors to submit practical, climate-smart solutions for the municipalities of Sirajganj, Gaibandha, Chapainawabganj, and Charghat. The initiative is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and jointly implemented by LGED (Local Government Division) and GIZ.
Nazifa emerged as the Champion in the Sirajganj Paurashava Challenge, with her proposal—SHIELD (Sirajganj Hydro-Infrastructure for Equitable Water-Logging Defense)—selected from 903 submissions nationwide. It ultimately became one of only 12 winning projects across the four participating Paurashavas.
Nazifa’s project proposes a three-stage, community-driven drainage model for Sirajganj Paurashava and is expected to be implemented by 2027.
Heartiest congratulations to Nazifa on this remarkable achievement.

𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐁𝐔𝐄𝐓 𝐔𝐑𝐏 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫-𝐔𝐩 𝐚𝐭 𝐄𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲𝐱 𝐇𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓
We are delighted to share the news that Team SpatioTech—comprising Arnob Roy (Batch ’20) and Mustaqeem Morshed (Batch ’22) from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (BUET), and Biroti Das (Batch ’21) from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (BUET)—has secured the Second Runner-Up position in the Echologyx Hackathon 2025.
Echologyx Hackathon 2025 is a premier innovation challenge hosted by Echologyx to empower passionate problem-solvers, software builders, designers, and innovators. Far beyond a typical competition, it serves as a platform for creating real technological impact—encouraging participants to develop meaningful solutions that push the boundaries of creativity.
Team SpatioTech participated in the AI and Machine Learning track, leveraging artificial intelligence to design ethical, socially impactful applications. The month-long hackathon consisted of three stages, from idea generation to full application deployment. A total of 208 teams—including students, early-career professionals, and entrepreneurs—took part in the competition. After two rigorous rounds of evaluation, only six teams advanced to the finale. Among these finalists, Team SpatioTech earned the Second Runner-Up title, demonstrating strong technical ex*****on, innovation, and impact-driven design.
Congratulations to Team SpatioTech for their achievement!

𝐔𝐑𝐏 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐀𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝟑𝐫𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Two students from Batch 21 of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (URP), BUET—Muntaha Kadir and Khandaker Ruhama Amin—competed as Team Nature Nexus and secured 3rd Prize at PlanSpire 2025.
The event was organized by the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Pabna University of Science and Technology (PUST) and the URP Association of PUST, with sponsorship from Troyee Associates, Management Consultants Limited (DPM), DHK Consulting, and Sheltech Consultants Private Ltd. The programme was planned by the Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP).
Their poster, titled “Flood Risk Mitigation and Nature-Based Sanitation Planning in Feni District: A GIS-Based Approach,” won 3rd Prize in the Poster Presentation Competition.
The research integrated GIS-based flood risk assessment with nature-based sanitation strategies to propose sustainable, resilient urban planning solutions for the Feni district. It emphasized the use of spatial analysis to identify high-risk areas and develop environmentally sound interventions for both sanitation and flood mitigation.
Heartiest congratulations to the Team Nature Nexus for their achievement!

বণিক বার্তা (০৩.১১.২০২৫)

𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐔𝐑𝐏 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭

Department of Urban and Regional Planning (URP), BUET, has been awarded a sub-project titled “Environmentally Sensitive Land Use Planning for Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Areas in Dhaka Using Spatial Data Science”, under the Academic Transformation Fund (ATF), Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HEAT) Project from the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh. This sub-project has been awarded under Window 3a.
Our heartiest congratulations to the team led by Dr. Dipita Hossain. The other members of the team are Dr. Afsana Haque, Dr. Md. Musleh Uddin Hasan, and Ms. Farzana Faiza Farha. We wish them success.

𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 “𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡" 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐁𝐔𝐄𝐓 𝐔𝐑𝐏 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐮𝐛 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 (𝐔𝐈𝐇𝐏)

We are delighted to share that Team SpatioTech, comprising Arnob Roy (Batch 20) and Mustaqeem Morshed (Batch 22) from the Department of URP, BUET, along with Biroti Das (Batch 21) from the Department of EEE, BUET, has secured the second-highest amount of pre-seed funding for their start-up idea “Park2Go” under the University Innovation Hub Program (UIHP).
The University Innovation Hub Program (UIHP) is a national initiative under the DEIED project, hosted by the Research and Innovation Centre for Science and Engineering (RISE), BUET, and funded by the World Bank, Bangladesh.
The program spanned three months and consisted of three phases: shortlisting teams, selecting finalists, and final pitching in front of the jury. Out of all applicants, 29 teams were shortlisted. Team SpatioTech was one of them and ultimately secured second-highest amount of pre-seed fund in the final round.
The team proposed an AI-driven smart parking platform named Park2Go to simplify urban journeys. It enables drivers to instantly locate the safest, nearest legal parking spot based on their destination—saving time, avoiding fines, and reducing stress. With real-time slot matching, user-friendly AI assistance, and vehicle security, Park2Go aims to make parking faster, safer, and smarter—right when and where it is needed. We earnestly congratulate them on this remarkable achievement.

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫 𝐀.𝐒.𝐌. 𝐌𝐚𝐡𝐛𝐮𝐛-𝐮𝐧-𝐍𝐚𝐛𝐢 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲

With a heavy heart, this is to inform that Professor A. S. M. Mahbub-un-Nabi, a retired Professor of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning (URP), BUET, passed away this morning, 1 September 2025 (08 Rabiul Awwal 1447 AH), at around 4:55 AM at his residence on Elephant Road.

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un. (Surely, we belong to Allah, and to Him we shall return).

Professor Nabi was one of the first planning graduates of the Department of URP, BUET. Before that, he completed a B.Sc. In Civil Engineering from BUET. During his long academic career at BUET, Professor Nabi served as the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Planning and also the Head of the Department of URP.

May Allah forgive him, shower His mercy upon him, and grant him the highest rank in Jannatul Firdaus.

Professor Nabi’s Namaz-e-Janaza will be held after Zuhr prayer (1:30 PM) at Aeroplane Masjid, Elephant Road (https://maps.app.goo.gl/JDG44YMu2EnZcoHZ6).

We kindly request you to keep him in your duas and forgive him.

নগর ও অঞ্চল পরিকল্পনা বিভাগ, বুয়েট চাকুরিতে পরিকল্পনা ও স্থাপত্যসহ প্রকৌশল স্নাতকদের কোটামুক্ত প্রবেশাধিকারের দাবিতে আন্দোলনরত শিক্ষার্থীদের উপর জঘন্য হামলার তীব্র নিন্দা জানাচ্ছে। এতে বুয়েটের অন্যান্য বিভাগ ও অন্যান্য বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের শিক্ষার্থীদের সাথে আমাদের বিভাগের স্নাতক পর্যায়ের চারজন এবং স্নাতকোত্তর পর্যায়ের একজন শিক্ষার্থী আহত হয়েছেন। আমরা সকলের আশু সুস্থতা কামনা করছি। সেইসাথে আমরা শিক্ষার্থীদের জন্য ন্যায়বিচার দাবি করছি। সমৃদ্ধ বাংলাদেশ গড়তে শিক্ষার্থীদের মেধাভিত্তিক নিয়োগের দাবির সাথেও আমরা স্পষ্টভাবে একাত্মতা ঘোষণা করছি।