Utilizing' canal banks as urban `water fronts' to enhance the `built environment' in Colombo city

Abstract

Introduction, outline the scope of its book and shows it is essentially an environmental and architectural approach, looking at canals in urban context and the possibilities in the future, rather than a history of the canal or a guide to the pleasures of cruising along it in a boat or pleasure of any other way. But when consider about pleasure activities associated with canals, in some urban context; it must be considered with other related public activities and built environment of the waterfront as well as urban city. Therefore, in this study, the history of water using in man made world is discussed in first. Water has a social cultural importance and in early periods it have been acted as a power full element of medium, to create fine relationships between human, nature and built environment. Because, water has a closer relationship with the human and his activities from the birth to death, these relationships were caused to the influence of water in Architecture. Then, with the development of Art and Architecture in classical world, water using with built environment as a "waterfront" have been become to act as a specific spatial context in architecture. In this time, "water front" had a vital part within other "urban spaces". Then although, most of early great cities had been developed with ot along the "water front" as river cities or port cities ; But due to various reasons of most water front sites have been acted as "lost spaces" in many cities. It was caused to various unpleasant constructions and unpleasant environment with various problems within the urban city. Therefore, it have been encouraged certain redevelopments to the "lost space" with utilizing that area as a usable "urban water front". In its, it should be considered about "Architecture use" of the "water front" to enhance the "built environment" in the city. According to that, "Urban water front" was acted as a "image" of the new city ; and most cities have been shaped and formed with the "urban water front". In that situation "canals (neglected) in urban context"were very popular and it had great potentials, to act as a "urban water front". Therefore, when consider about our capital city, Colombo was not an exception. It is consisted with neglected canal network too : and it is caused to various unpleasant constructions, environment and various problems in Colombo city. It is directly influenced to our urban built environment. So then, this study in intend to identified several design strategies, objectives, methods, which are useful to create redevelopments in canal side area as a "urban water front" with using existing potentials, introducing new activities, and improving several relationships and linkages between city and canal side area ; to enhance the "urban built environment" in Colombo city.