Professor Dr. Ali Hossain Choudhury, Dean, Arts Faculty, CNN Science & Technology University
Building a Better City Together: Collaborative Governance, Inclusive Development, and Civic Innovation in Comilla City Corporation
Cities are not just concrete and steel—they are living systems shaped by the people who inhabit them and the institutions that serve them. In this evolving landscape, Comilla City Corporation (CuCC) stands out as a model of how shared responsibility between citizens and city administrators can lead to sustainable urban growth, responsive service delivery, and inclusive governance.
This article explores how Comilla City Corporation is building a better city through collaboration. From infrastructure development and digital innovation to civic participation and environmental sustainability, CuCC is laying the groundwork for a future-ready city—not alone, but together with its people.
The Foundation of Togetherness: Comilla’s Civic Vision
Established as a ACity Corporation in 2011, Comilla has transitioned from a traditional municipality into a vibrant urban center. The motto “নাগরিক সেবায় অঙ্গীকারবদ্ধ” (Committed to Citizen Service) reflects its core philosophy: urban development must be people-driven.
This spirit of cooperation underpins CuCC’s governance model, where policy planning, service delivery, and innovation are increasingly participatory. Rather than viewing citizens as passive recipients, CuCC treats them as co-creators of the city’s present and future.
Pillars of a Collaborative Urban Model
- Participatory Governance: People in the Planning Process
CuCC has institutionalized regular citizen engagement through:
- Ward-level meetings and citizen forums
- Open budget discussions
- Neighborhood improvement surveys
- Grievance redressal mechanisms
Each ward’s development plan is shaped with direct input from residents, making priorities like road repairs, drain clean-ups, or market upgrades responsive to real needs. These consultations have improved trust, reduced conflicts, and increased civic pride.
- Infrastructure with Inclusion
Infrastructure development is vital, but CuCC emphasizes inclusive and accessible design. Noteworthy initiatives include:
- Widening and improving roads while ensuring pedestrian walkways and ramps for people with disabilities.
- LED streetlight expansion in all 27 wards for improved safety, particularly in low-income areas.
- Renovation of ward parks with benches, women-friendly spaces, and play areas for children.
- Smart waste collection points and decentralized garbage sorting hubs, developed in collaboration with local youth groups.
This inclusive infrastructure model prioritizes livability for all, not just mobility or visibility.
- Health and Hygiene for Every Citizen
In the pursuit of a clean and healthy Comilla, CuCC collaborates with:
- Health NGOs
- Local volunteers
- Educational institutions
Major health-focused partnerships include:
- Dengue prevention drives conducted with community support.
- Water purification and sanitation awareness in schools.
- Free medical check-up camps for low-income residents.
- Women’s health programs in partnership with local clinics.
The Corporation has also implemented a digitized birth and death registration system, ensuring that health-related documentation is timely, accurate, and accessible to all.
Digital Transformation Through Civic Innovation
Recognizing the digital shift in citizen behavior, CuCC has embraced e-governance and smart service delivery, involving both internal reform and external engagement.
Key Digital Platforms:
- Online tax payment system
- Mobile app for complaints and suggestions
- GIS-based ward mapping for planning and utilities
- E-trade license and business permit applications
In developing these platforms, CuCC collaborated with local IT professionals and university students, transforming service delivery into a shared innovation journey.
Education and Youth Engagement: Empowering the Future
Comilla’s youth are not just beneficiaries of services—they are active partners in urban transformation.
CuCC Youth Initiatives:
- Youth civic clubs in each ward involved in clean-up drives, awareness campaigns, and data collection.
- Student research internships in planning, waste management, and digital mapping.
- Entrepreneurship workshops in collaboration with business schools to foster local innovation.
CuCC is also reviving public libraries and educational centers, ensuring access to learning and information across all socioeconomic groups.
Women at the Center of Urban Change
The empowerment of women is a cornerstone of inclusive development in Comilla. CuCC supports:
- Reserved seats for female ward councillors
- Capacity-building workshops for women leaders
- Gender-responsive budgeting for services like sanitation, healthcare, and safety
Initiatives such as female-led waste cooperatives and health awareness campaigns on maternal care demonstrate that urban progress and gender equity go hand in hand.
Environmental Stewardship: Green Cities are Better Cities
CuCC recognizes that a sustainable city is not possible without ecological responsibility. Through partnerships with schools, NGOs, and civic groups, it has launched several green campaigns:
Highlights:
- “Green Comilla” tree plantation program: Citizens receive free saplings and plant them around homes, schools, and roads.
- Lake restoration projects: CuCC has engaged local historians and engineers to revive ponds and canals as both heritage and utility.
- Plastic-free market zones: Merchants and vendors jointly enforce low-plastic packaging, with incentives provided.
These efforts foster a shared environmental ethic, where residents become caretakers of their neighborhoods and natural resources.
The Role of Religious and Cultural Institutions
CuCC actively works with mosques, temples, churches, and cultural clubs to:
- Spread civic messages on cleanliness, community health, and peace
- Celebrate festivals in a safe and inclusive manner
- Preserve Comilla’s rich cultural legacy, from Lalon music to Rani Dighi
Cultural harmony is treated as a building block of a better city, not an afterthought.
Challenges in Shared Urban Management
Despite remarkable progress, CuCC and its citizens face shared challenges:
- Limited Revenue Sources
Citizen participation in tax compliance remains low. Property tax modernization and wider collection outreach are needed.
- Capacity Gaps
CuCC’s workforce needs more trained urban planners, IT professionals, and engineers. Collaborative training with universities is being explored.
- Population Pressure
Rapid urban growth threatens to overwhelm services. CuCC is developing a population-based service model to ensure equitable distribution.
- Climate Vulnerability
Waterlogging, heat stress, and unregulated construction are growing threats. More climate education and green planning are essential.
Public-Private Partnerships: Building Beyond Bureaucracy
Recognizing that city-building requires multisectoral collaboration, CuCC has partnered with:
- Chamber of commerce for SME and market area upgrades
- Private hospitals for mass health campaigns
- Real estate developers for regulated housing zones
- Media and influencers for civic education drives
This “4P” model—Public-Private-People Partnership—is a guiding principle in Comilla’s journey toward excellence.
Looking Ahead: A Vision for 2030
Comilla City Corporation’s roadmap to 2030 is ambitious but rooted in community.
Goals Include:
- Smart City Status: With digital traffic management, solar-powered markets, and intelligent waste tracking.
- Inclusive Housing Schemes: For informal settlers and low-income earners.
- Resilient Infrastructure: Integrated canal-drain-road planning and flood preparedness.
- Community-Owned Projects: From urban gardens to school recycling programs.
This vision will only be realized through continued collaboration with residents, civic bodies, and state agencies—building a better city, together.
Comilla City Corporation’s story is not just one of roads built or lights installed—it is a story of shared purpose, where the boundary between administrator and citizen is growing ever thinner. In Comilla, everyone has a role to play: the street sweeper, the student, the shopkeeper, the mayor.
By embracing a model of collaborative governance, Comilla is pioneering a new urban philosophy for Bangladesh—one that prioritizes transparency, inclusivity, and long-term resilience.
The future of urban Bangladesh will be shaped not just by what city corporations build, but by how they build—with their people, not just for them.
In Comilla, that future is already under construction—brick by brick, voice by voice, together.
