Urban development in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The planning, designing and construction of towns and cities in Sri Lanka have been a continuous process for centuries. Ancient Sri Lanka boasts of magnificent cities such as Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya, and Yapahuwa. Writings of ancient, times describe the beauty and function of these cities in glowing words. It can be aptly concluded from such works that our ancient towns and cities had been designed and laid-out with the highest objectives of social and economic organisation and in keeping with the ideals of aesthetic balance.

The economic role of these ancient urban settlements is clear by their very location, either around agricultural hinterlands or at sea-ports. In such a context, agriculture and trade had provided the basis of the early cities. Occupational specialisation and social development in them had been stimulated only under those conditions.