Havelock City in Colombo: An Advocacy of “New Urbanism” to inculcate a True Urban Culture

Abstract

Urbanity is characterized by the agglomeration of human beings into specific geographic locations in pursuit of collective solutions to common problems; and to achieve common aspirations. These aspirations may include security, economic opportunities, physical and social infrastructure, as well as the rich human interaction that is facilitated by the physical structuring of urban space. Thus, the density of habitations that is an inherent characteristic of urbanity facilitates the economization of urban infrastructure. Such economization facilitates the concentrated deployment of physical resources as well as the concentration of public transportation networks and the discouraging of individual vehicle usage. However, the contemporary trends of urban development that give rise to “urban sprawl” through aspects such as zoning codes and the development of suburbs appear to work against this nature of urban living. The American movement of “New Urbanism” that originated in 1980s can be seen as a reaction to such trends that threaten the survival of distinct local community cultures that depend on the primary character of urbanity.