In Mohammadpur, Dhaka, what was once a sprawling neighbourhood field is now fenced off. A residential apartment rises where children once chased footballs till dusk. Just a few decades ago, the afternoons belonged to games, laughter, and open air. Today, the scenario is very different. In a city where every square foot is measured in profit, childhood has lost its playground.
Over the past three decades, open spaces in Bangladesh’s cities have shrunk at an alarming rate. What were once community fields, schoolyards, or public parks have steadily given way to high-rises, shopping malls, car parks and commercial projects. In this urban race, an entire generation of children is being robbed of a vital part of growing up.
“We don’t have any playgrounds in our area. So, we just play in this alley on weekends when there’s less traffic,” said Shorno, a 15-year-old student from Mohammadpur. His father, who grew up here three decades ago, remembers playing football every afternoon in open fields that no longer exist.
A 2023 study revealed that 41 out of 129 wards in Dhaka North and South have no playgrounds at all. Even among the remaining ones, many are owned by private clubs that are not open to everyone.
The main culprits are no secret: real estate expansion, rapid migration and weak regulations. In Bangladesh’s urban centres, land is scarce and expensive. Developers prioritise returns, and unfortunately, playgrounds don’t generate income.
As a result, children are trading playgrounds for phones and televisions. What was once an afternoon of running, climbing, and chasing friends is now replaced by hours of solitary, passive screen time.
When asked how he spends his free time, Tawsif, a 14-year-old school student, said, “I watch anime every afternoon after school. Sometimes, I also watch action movies.”
Nafis, another 14-year-old, added, “I like playing PUBG and using Facebook on my phone.”
With open spaces disappearing, some children improvise. In many neighbourhoods, it’s common to see kids playing cricket or football in narrow alleys or quiet streets.
The consequences, however, are devastating. Experts are increasingly alarmed by how limited access to outdoor play is affecting children’s growth and well-being. Outdoor play is essential for both physical and mental development. Without it, normal bodily functions like muscle strength, coordination, and height can be stunted.
Doctors also warn that reduced outdoor time contributes to childhood obesity and vitamin D deficiency, now rising sharply among urban children.
But playgrounds are more than just fitness grounds. They are classrooms without walls. “Crucial skills like teamwork, negotiation, resilience, and problem-solving are all learned here,” said Dr Arman Ibne Haq, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Bangladesh Medical College.
“Classrooms or digital interactions cannot teach these. Without outdoor play, many children are growing up socially isolated and less resilient to stress. The rise of restlessness, sleeplessness, anxiety, and mild depressive symptoms among children is directly linked to this.”
Parents echo these concerns. Kajol, a father in Jigatola, recalled his own childhood. “In the 1990s, our afternoons were filled with cricket and football. My kids now spend theirs indoors, glued to screens. I’d love to send them to play outside, but there’s simply no safe space nearby.”
For many parents, especially those with daughters, safety is a bigger concern than distance. Sirazum Munira, mother of a 9-year-old boy, shared, “There aren’t any safe playgrounds in the neighbourhood. Even his school doesn’t have a proper field. So, he plays in our building’s parking garage. I wish the government would take real steps about this.”
A separate study by the Institute of Planning and Development (IPD) found that Dhaka needs 795 more playgrounds to meet the city’s urban planning standards. Chattogram lacks 541, Sylhet 40, and Rajshahi 37.
Children aren’t the only victims. People of all ages are affected. For those with diabetes, high blood pressure, or joint issues, regular walking is essential but even walkable spaces are vanishing.
“We always advise elderly people to stay connected with some kind of physical activity. Walking is one of the best,” said Dr Arman. “It benefits both physical and mental well-being immensely.”
All of these point to a larger failure, the absence of people-friendly urban planning. Cities like Dhaka, Chattogram, and Rajshahi are growing vertically without creating horizontal breathing spaces. Parks, fields, and recreational areas are treated as afterthoughts rather than essentials.
Now is the time to pause and ask: What kind of childhood are we offering our next generation? Can digital play ever replace the joy of running barefoot on grass? What happens to social bonds when children grow up alone, without neighbourhood games?
If things continue like this, we risk raising a generation confined by walls physically, mentally and emotionally.
The government must act, and citizens must demand better. Urban planning must value health over profit and community over construction. Otherwise, all our dreams of progress will stand on the ruins of the playgrounds we’ve lost.
