Sustainable and Green Transportation in Developing Countries: A Comprehensive Review with Focus on Dhaka, Bangladesh

Transportation is one of the largest contributors to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the primary driver of urban air pollution, energy depletion, and land-use changes. In rapidly urbanising developing countries, these challenges are especially acute. Dhaka, Bangladesh, one of the world's most densely populated megacities, exemplifies the intersection of explosive population growth, a fragmented transport system, severe air quality degradation, and deep socioeconomic vulnerability to climate change. This review paper examines sustainable and green transportation comprehensively, grounding its analysis in Bangladesh and the Dhaka context, while drawing on global evidence and international case studies Topics covered include electric vehicles (EVs), non-motorised transport, including the rickshaw economy, CNG auto-rickshaws, the Dhaka MRT Line 6, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), inland waterways, and Bangladesh's national transport policy frameworks, including the RSTP, NDC, and Delta Plan 2100.This is a self-initiated undergraduate research preprint by a 3rd-year Civil Engineering student at UITS, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The manuscript is under preparation for a peer-reviewed journal submission.