Colombo’s 2020 Vision
1750-1800 VOC map of Colombo from lankapura.com
By 2020, the Urban Development Authority envisions a rationalized Colombo, activities divided into zones, markets in certain areas and squatters moved out so valuable land can be leased to developers. This plan includes redoing the chaotic zoning of the city and taking direct Ministry of Defence control of vital areas, including the historic and future downtown.
The port city of Colombo has been besieged by the Portugese, the Dutch, the British and finally the terrorist threat of the LTTE. The latter group never occupied the city, but they did target it with waves of suicide bombers, fracturing its natural development. Now, one year after wars end, the architect of the LTTE’s demise is planning the new city of Colombo.
The Urban Development Authority and all relevant departments are now under the Ministry of Defence and its Secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. Just as his Ministry used maps to document and marshall support for the conquest of formerly LTTE territory, they are now imposing a top-down plan to restructure the city.
UDA Plan for 1985. Grey is mixed residential and yellow is residential. The blue shows the scattered commercial areas and red is for public and semi-public land. Purple is for industrial areas.
Ongoing war in Sri Lanka stunted the natural growth of Sri Lanka’s commercial capital, while terrorist attacks and security restrictions downtown scattered development outward. Even by 1985 mixed residential zones (mapped in grey) began to dominate as people travelled less into the inner city.
Fear, insurance rates and traffic restrictions choked development of the downtown area. Since the commercial district was a target, it decentralized. The mixed residential areas in the 1985 Zoning Plan came to dominate the city. The city expanded horizontally with an unplanned mix of commercial, residential and other activities in the suburbs.
UDA Plan for 2010. Red is concentrated development and dark blue is commercial. Yellow to brown is residential. Pink and purple are sea front and port while white and lighter blue are planned projects.
With the end of war, the Urban Development Authority has released and begun acting on a new zoning plan. This involves rationalising the chaotic zoning of the war years into specific zones. As you compare the two maps, however, it becomes obvious that this involves upending thousands of residents around the Port and Slave Island areas. This has already begun with the Ministry of Defence getting cabinet approval to resettle (or simply remove) 66,000 people squatting on land, freeing up 78 acres for leasing.
These unauthorized shanties have sprung up around the north and east of the city, marked grey on the map at right. These cheap mixed residential areas may not exist in 2020 as the residents will live in government high rises or further afield.
The areas around the Beira Lake and Galle Face Green are an absolute jumble in the 1985 plan but a pristine white in the 2020 map. That is because they are UDA projects, controlled developments that will result in outdoor restaurants, walkways, shopping areas and public promenades. Some ideas being discussed include an underground mall beneath Galle Face and possible land reclamation from the sea.
The blue area at the center of Cinnamon Gardens is also a special UDA project. This includes largely abandoned and seemingly haunted Colombo racetrack grounds, as well as many green areas around Independence Square.
Many facilities are also being moved out of Colombo entirely. The prisoners at Welikada are being largely relocated, and the street hawkers and fishmongers are already being relocated to designated zones.
In the end, the Colombo of 2020 may look like the Colombo of 1750, at least in relative terms. The downtown will again be centered around the Port, buoyed by an oasis in the Beira Lake and surrounded by leafy suburbs to the south. In the process, the particular quirky character of Colombo’s back streets and random surprises may disappear, leaving a new port city, no longer under siege.
A properly designed Traffic Plan must be given the priority.
P.L.J.B.Palipana, P.Eng
SURREY,BC,CANADA
@P.L.J.B.Palipana, a traffic plan is quite necessary. The city is developing for cars but not for people, it’s not a very walkable city at all and travelling by bus is difficult with the one way system. In cities like New York or Montreal even wealthy people take public transit because it’s convenient. I hope Colombo becomes like that
For starters can we open up the Fort area please. Chatham street, Baileys Street , york street etc were thriving centers of commerce and freedom. Can’t someone focus on this now without waiting for 2020.
Th UDA is an agency that care no Law. Although it was created under the UDA Law No 41 of 1978 it had been violated in all actions since its inception. It has done more harm to the urban areas than good since 1978.Its illegal actions include the application of a set of regulations illegally prepared to regulate development in all its areas, declaration of areas, acquisition of land, zoning of land,
It is an agency filled with corruption to the brim . If the new Competent authority can do some thing about this and put into action the noble objectives of the UDA Law the present change of administration will definitely be worthy.
Thanks lot for your brave comment. the UDA is one of the most corrupt and inefficient Institution of the country.It should be cleaned to get work done.
Mr. P.LJ.B.Palipns’s comment on traffic is very correct. Transport id to serve the land uses. Unless an integral bond between these two is maintained there is always traffic problems. Sri Lanka’s problem is about slow movement. This is related to the land uses, scale of production, planned investment in urban infrastructure and room for the private sector to genuinely invest in the economy. Private sector investment is dependent on predictability and reliability which in turn is a product of rule of law. All these in short results from good governance. Can we ever expect this situation.
I think that professionals should begin a serious discussion on urban development embracing all its aspects in relation to this COLOMBO- 200 VISION.
The Map showing the Colombo=2020 Vision itself is a big joke to any Town Planning _Professional In Town Planning by Maps one can show the Land use Pattern Proposed and existing, Density of development, reservations and projects proposed for implementation.
What is given in this Map is the land use pattern. If the Leader publication is correct the legend is very confusing. For instance there is no land use call the “concentrated Development. Concentrated refers to density. In this zone any development such as residential, commercial, administration, institutions,or even factories can come. They are not compatible in use. The infrastructure base is determined by both density and the proposed land use patterns.
According to the Map purple gives the sea Front and Port Activities. What is meant by sea front. It is just a location while Port is a hive of activity needing special infrastructure base.
Why doesn’t the Secretary Defense call for Professional Opinions before legalising to enforce and implement this technical horror.
Compared to other main cities in developed countries, the city of Colombo is a bloody mess. Go ahead with the new plan.
Mr.Premarthne explained the basics of the concept(I am very poor in that subject). My main concern is the existing Traffic Plan in British Columbia,Canada. The Roads Net(Busses, Sky trains and Sea trains) Work is associated with other developments and also properly interconnected. Otherwise all the parties( Engineers, Archtechts, Town Planners…ete) work together to get a good product ultimately
Well our government likes dreaming all whether its day or night. All us Sri Lankans can only have hope!! No say No Way!! if they are going to implement this hope they remove that bloody rail track along marine drive and also do a proper road network within colombo!!
GOOD WORK BLENDED WITH HONESTY IS GREATLY APPRECIATED,THIS IS OUR MOTHERLAND WHATEVER PARTY YOU BELONG ,A RIGHT IS ALWAYS WELCOME.
In all this 2020 Vision, I wonder where Gota’s vision is for his “wealth” from all these developments!! Maybe more mansions in the US and Bahamas!!:-))
Real shot.They are talking like if there was no LTTE our country would have
been a real paradise and now that LTTE is gone,in a matter of couple of yrs
we all can live in SRILANKAPORE.Nice dream,fabulous goal but the bus is
reading something else.They don’t know to talk about paddy fields,fruits and vegies,rivers and lakes,parks and gardens,forests and waterfalls.It’s mainly
about endless constructions and engineering.Wow. What a wealthy nation!
Give the people their bread and then build your castle!
I am living in Los Angeles for the last 25 years and Gota lived here too. To the best of my knowledge Gota doesn’t have mansions in LA. He had one house in San Dimas LA and he has sold it since.
manu,my reply to nuwan is,for his first line.I don’t believe in character
asassination based on unfounded allegations.
why what about the house he has rented out to the as the SL consular office?? Don’t talk crap and try to defend him. you are living in LA but you don’t know what assets he have now in SL, for a 7-11 employee!!
Well said Nuwan! That’s why One brother gave it to another so that every dime remains in the family!! Suba Anagathayak lankawata – there will be development too….
Nuwan / Charitha…….. at least there is some planning and transparency. O/w this article would not appear.
Why are people negative all the time ?
Instead of constructive ideas & contributions all that we read is sarcasm & destruction.
damn people making money if there is a good proposal why not comment on the positives of it.
Is the leader just want to rake up shit in peoples mind as the society is divided due to various factors.
WE CRITICISE ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING AND SEE THE NEGATIVE SIDE ALL THE WHILE.
wHY IS THIS ATTITUDE ?
God bless Gota.He will do his job right.I am a strong UNPer who lived in California longer than Gota.He is honest , hard working and tough.Only thing i dont like him about is trying to destroy and suppress the opposition too much.
Live and let others also to live.Some people are talking about traffic plans.first u have to find root cause for traffic and then fix the problem. this is exactly what he is doing.I am surprised some of the above comments.Some people r so ignorant and lack of understaning on issues.Also pls note that Gota does not have mansions in California.If you need help pls contact me Gota
Thanks Desh, Happy to see there are few people around who can see right and wrong. We should learn to talk about the glass of half full not about the empty half. Let’s help the country to rise from the ashes.
First of all they should find a solution to the displaced tamil people who are in make shift camps, give them houses first, then put the traffic in place!! Rajapaksas should first feed the people before feeding themselves. There are plenty of hngry people now in sl than ever before.
where do we get money for these projects?
It is a very easy job Mr.jake.The GOSL could very easily find money for those project applying pruning techniques to the existing Economy.
The Govrt. is engaged in a program to prevent floods. When this happened in 1995 then UNP Govt. cleared all canals and implemented a quick prevention program. But even after that floods continue.It has two levels local and regional. By cleaning major canal network only the regional; floods may be
controlled. But the impact of local floods is more serious. This results from the chronic problem of urbanization on the foundation of a rural road net-wok which is served with only very narrow and swallow drains which have no capacity to carry the flood water in the local areas. There t least 400-500 such drains in the Colombo District.Unless they are enlarged which also has to be joined with raising these local road surfaces no systematic or fruitful flood prevention can be done in the Western Province. I believe this proposal will be given attention by the Secretary to the Ministry of defense.
gotabhaya is an honest man. not sure about the rest of the brothers. he cleaned out the tigers, and he will clean out colombo, make no mistake about that.
Eddie you are dreaming. If he is an honest man, what did he do with the “Api venuwn api” money?? If he was honest why did he now wait and fight through thick and thin when the sl army needed officers??
Mr.Premarathne is very correct. I know such a canal in Maligawatte.Gotabaya should contact the Irrigation department for that purpose.
When there is no development in the conuntry you guys complain and when they try to do something right, you guys complain. Who would you have in mind to do all these projects if MR and family aren’t good for you?
I think MR and the brothers are doing everthing right for our country. Their unity brought us many good things which we couldn’t dream of during CBK’s and JRJ’s time. Remember, all you guys who are writing against them enjoy the freedom they gave you by doing what is right for the country.
Since it will be a family ruling forever, Colombo suburbs should be renamed accordingly. Pettah should be called Gota, where the man his long term interest.
please develop Colombo soon. please give presser to government
[...] UDA Plan for 2010. Red is concentrated development and dark blue is commercial. Yellow to brown is residential. Pink and purple are sea front and port while white and lighter blue are planned projects. Via an article I did in The Sunday Leader [...]