Abstract:
Urbanisation and population movement to larger cities is seen to be an inevitable
phenomenon in most developing countries. The trends associated with urbanization in
developing countries show that the result for some countries has been growing regional
disparities. Governments in some developing countries have identified concerns about the
issue of regional disparities and are seeking to intervene in order to attempt to redress
uneven spatial development. The creation of 'new cities’ in regional areas is one spatial
planning strategy available to governments to support ‘lagging’ regions. One country that has
applied this strategy is Sri Lanka. Hambantota, on the south east coast of Sri Lanka was
devastated by the Boxing Day Tsunami, has now been selected by the national government
for accelerated development with a range of large infrastructure projects. The Hambantota
new town project is one example of a spatial planning strategy to develop a regional area
and tackle uneven national growth patterns. This paper provides an account and analysis of
this 'top down’ attempt at a new town planning project and strategy. It explores the unique
aspects of this particular approach. The paper concludes by exploring the planning
implications and issues of continuity which going to challenge the city planning approach
taken in Hambantota.
