Landscape design in public space to accommodate protest for citizen rights and democracy in Bangladesh

This study examines the interplay between protest dynamics and public space in Bangladesh, focusing on four major civil protests — the War Crimes protest, the Road Safety protest, the Quota Reform protest, and the Anti-Rampal Power Plant protest — that occurred in Khulna metropolitan city in recent decades. This qualitative investigation draws on field observations and interviews with protest coordinators, local residents, law enforcement, and city authorities to explore the impact of the built environment on protest activities and the methods of control exercised in a democratic context. This research offers an extensive framework for delivering urban services in public squares, highlighting the importance of integrating landscape design features that support daily public life activities and serve as venues for protests. This study also examines the spatial characteristics that lead people to choose a public square as a venue for social justice beyond its regular function as a traffic intersection. Additionally, this paper presents the perspectives of local stakeholders directly affected by recurring protest events and analyses the specific spatial features of public spaces in the city that support peaceful public protest. In line with the findings, a set of policy suggestions is provided.