Abstract:
The Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004 resulted in over 35,000 deaths
and damage to almost 100,000 houses in coastal Sri Lanka. In the aftermath a significant
program of international aid resulted in the reconstruction of over 65,000 housing units -
some work is ongoing. The priorities for reconstruction focussed on the immediacy of the
post-disaster recovery process, and this has been subject to criticism in relation to the
quality and suitability of re-building and of newly built housing and the regional priorities for
development funding. Less consideration has been given to the longer-term consequences
of the settlement systems that have been created - specifically the creation of small
settlement clusters that are distant to employment and services, which in some instances
have proved unpopular for these reasons. This paper provides analysis of the established
housing projects in the tsunami-affected and post-conflict Trincomalee region on Sri Lanka’s
east coast and considers the role of spatial planning in housing reconstruction projects in
this region. Locational disadvantage has resulted in many instances as distance to
employment and services has increased for many tsunami-affected households and broader
spatial planning objective do not appear to have been adopted.
