An Examination of the conservation strategies on historic cities and their impact on the development patterns : case study Colombo Fort

Abstract

A city is aimed to be a unified entity as a whole. Equalization of different characters and arrives to a unique character. It of course will make a city visually and psychologically comfortable. The experience then will become a delight and meaningful. The key factor of the development of a city is the unique identity. Historic cities have a unique character in their own, which has been appeared with the physical and social structure of the history. At present the conservation, preservation and maintenance of old characteristics have become indeed a crucial need of a historic city. As a result the urban environment has become destroyed and meaningless, which doesn't reflect the historical character due to many haphazard developments that have taken place. Historic cities are essential in order to determine a better future. Therefore the historic cities are being formed a threat of destroying the historical importance. Colombo Fort is also a historic city, which is being destroyed its uniqueness. While the Fort is developing rapidly, the new built structures are varying with scales, proportions and language. The street facades are also loosing the continuity, sense of enclosure and directional quality as well. Then the Colombo Fort is becoming non-legible with the other cities.