Reframing Informality in Nilkhet Book Market: A Transformation of Spontaneous Urban System into a Structured Cultural Realm

Nilkhet book market can be described as a knowledge economy-based marketplace which plays an essential role as an interface between the vendor community and the reader society by providing affordable books (Begum, 2025). Even though the market is considered socially and economically important, it is run under an informal spatial form which often comes into contradiction with the formal urban planning and resource management rationale in Bangladesh (Khan & Podder, 2023). The purpose of this paper is to explore approaches for the transformation of the informal nature of Nilkhet book market into a culturally relevant and optimized urban space. Firstly, the current physical and social nature of the market, including roadway systems, entrance points, population density, and functional variety of the businesses, were examined. Based on the analysis conducted, a transformation strategy was designed applying the principles of architectural and urban design. The proposed strategy focuses on such aspects as optimization of the ventilation system, path management, and multi-functionalism. It is clear from the results that the spatial reorganization and flexibility of design can help make the market an efficient urban space that remains informal in nature. According to the current research, informal urban structures do not have to be considered as barriers to the formal development of cities; instead, they can be seen as valuable cultural and economic resources through inclusive design approaches (Islam, 2024). In this context, the proposed transformation of the Nilkhet Book Market may serve as an example for the redevelopment of informal markets in other urbanizing cities.

Nilkhet Books, Informal Urban Development, Urban Redevelopment, Architectural Design, Cultural Space, Flexible Space Design, Urban Space

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