“Planning” History of Colombo
The first city plan was prepared by a British Town Planner, Patrick Geddes in 1921. The concept of the plan was to “preserve the rural spirit of the town”, and to make
Colombo a “Garden City of the East”. Though the plan had not been fully implemented in the city, it has had influenced the subsequent planning interventions.
With the enactment of Town & Country Planning Ordinance in 1946, the Colombo Municipal Council embarked on preparing a town-planning scheme for the city. The government had invited a British Town Planner, Patrick Abercromby to prepare the second city plan. Abercromby’s plan of 1949 covered the Colombo Metropolitan Region as a whole but it did not translate into detailed proposals. The plan emphasised the decentralisation of the city’s activities and creation of satellite towns around
Colombo.
The third city plan was the Colombo Master Plan of 1978, of which the main objective was the promotion of “balanced” regional development and accelerated “economic” development of the country. The Colombo Master Plan was initiated after three decades of silence, since 1949 where the Abercromby’s plan was implemented. The Colombo Master Plan has provided the basis for city planning programmes implemented since 1978 particularly in the Greater Colombo Area.
The next city plan was the Colombo Development Plan prepared by the Urban Development Authority (UDA) in 1985 based on the Colombo Master Plan. This development plan laid the foundations for implementing zoning and building regulations.
The most recent city plan was the Colombo Metropolitan Regional Structure Plan (CMRSP) prepared in 1998 by the Urban Development Authority.
THE
PHYSICAL
CITY
The Colombo Municipal Council was established in 1866 under the Colombo Municipal Council Ordinance of 1865. According to the Centenary Volume of Colombo Municipal Council 1963, (CMC, 1963) the physical size of the city was 24.5 km2 in 1871. The amalgamation of adjoining areas from time to time increased the physical size of the city. Such changes occurred in 1901, 1911, 1946, 1953 and 1963. The present city size has increased up to 37.3 km2.
DENSITY
The average population density of the city according to the first available records in 1871 was 40 people per hectare. This has reached up to 105 people per hectare in 1940. The current density is 172 people per hectare (2001 census). (Department of Census and Statistics, 2001) This figure indicates only the city-wide average population density. However, there are some Municipal Wards, which represent higher densities such as 974 people per hectare. The highest population density is in Colombo North, which is predominantly a low-income residential area. The
Colombo Southern area represents a low-density distribution of population, which is very much close to the city’s current average population density of 172 persons per hectare.
