Examination of the built form and function of the urban alleyways in Colombo-Pettah

Abstract

Contemporary cities are largely used by people as a vicinity place rather than living. But in the city public spaces are very important, because these are the places which generate life in the cities, and give characters to them. Urban places should be active and have places for public life and public activities. Squires, spaces of pockets, roads, alleys .... etc provide opportunities for to unfold. Alleyways are spontaneously formed to satisfy the need of particular zone of the city, process unique characteristics and are distinctive from side works, corridors or and arcade, which are familiar urban areas. Unlike streets or pavements, these alleyways are very much human and domestic in there scales. Their characters and activities sustain a grater social interaction. Common situation of alleyways are spontaneous growth of left over open spaces in between buildings, being narrowest corridors of the city street structure, and plays vital role in maintaining the city in its humanistic proportion. Due to various development process and activities, one of these urban element 'alleyways are becoming more and more absolute and unavoidable to public. And contribution to the life of the city have diminished. There fore urban fabric is endangered. If not possible action are not taken to investigate those problem; the urban fabric of the city of the Colombo also consist of large number of alleyways, and those alleyways are not exemption from gradual degradation trends. And this study examine the changing trends of alleyways, and to propose set of guidelines to design the alleyways, which can incorporate while doing the urban development and propose suitable action to preserve them.