Underutilization of architectural ambience in planned townships : critical examination of contemporary planned towns of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Man's need to relate himself to familiar significant environments is deep rooted. It is with the familiarization that he gets attached to the physical environments that could be identified with the physical objects. Town represents man as a communal being while the home represents him as an individual. Thus, the town, as well as home should essentially possess the ability to initiate belongingness within its people. aut when towns are planned, a great tendency for the deep rooted psychological need of man for emotional attachment, sense of belonging are over looked, due to the more concentration been given on qualitative and practical issues of a town. The Mahaweli planned towns came into being with the succession of the McWawyiaccelerated programme setting up examples for contemporary planned towns in Sri Lanka. These towns, which were expected to thrive and to reach its peak, are being depopulated day by day. The lack of presence of character and emotional attachment would be the possible cause for this phenomenon, which has resulted a great anxiety.