Hambantota Sri Lanka : challenges in using a ‘New City’ planning approach to regional growth in developing countries

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.