Social mobility and class formation: an analysis of the housing market in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Abstract

The main focus of the paper is on understanding the emerging relationship between state, market and social classes in the city of Colombo in the context of emerging housing market and citizens‟ access to a livable house in the city and its suburbs. This main objective is achieved through the questions of enquiry, listed as: to identify the role of state on formulating various housing policies and their implications; to describe emerging institutional mechanisms, public or private, in facilitating, developing and implementing land and housing properties; to investigate the housing market and its socio-economic impacts on the residents to examine residential patterns and formation of social classes in the communities; and to enquiry into the nature and forms of relationships among the state, the market and social classes in regard to urban setting. The study reveals that the rising demand especially among middle and upper income groups for private housing colonies, selling their products (flats) along with multiple amenities, has resulted into a steep rise in land prices, hence making the private housing out of reach for the low income groups, who then look for government housing schemes. Also, the profile of housing status and urban renewal of Colombo City is not different from several so-called developing countries (including India) where a few mega cities are now competing to be the „world class‟ cities, and in the process their States are losing control on (or withdrawing from) basic human services meant for average citizens. The whole process has led to the emergence of urban classes very distinct from one another and drawing an identity from the housing structures.