Assessing the change of imageability after sidewalk tree planting done in historic grid cities with special reference to the grid city of Kandy

Abstract

The early 1960s marked a period of significant development in the field of urban planning, with globalization & modernization. Those work aimed to improve the clarity of a city's image and to identify and address the challenges and issues that could potentially erode a city's identity and character. Then extended theories were built around these theories in recent time to fit the recent architectural landscape of the world. The physical characteristics that determine a city's image and identity are included in its form, especially in historic cities. Sidewalk tree plantation happens to be an intervention that can alter the visible physical features of a historic city eventually effecting the imageability, yet it’s effect on imageability is often neglected as a micro intervention. A couple of Sri Lanka's most recognizable cities have experienced changes to their spatial identities and overall appearance as a result of the country's rapid development. Therefore, the main goal of this dissertation is "to assess the urban image of the city and enhance its identity by building a conceptual framework based on Kevin Lynch's extended methodology and his associated concepts, to identify the changes of the urban image before and after the tree plantation project in Kandy." A case study methodology was employed to assess the practical applicability of the established conceptual framework. The examination relied on empirical data collected through a combination of on-site field observations, questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews. It is intended that the research will be a wake-up call to demonstrate how a micro level landscape project like sidewalk tree plantation can affect a historic city like Kandy. The research’s concluding section made several recommendations to address these issues, lessen their impact on the historic city's imageability, and offer guidelines for creating a conceptual framework that can be used to evaluate the urban image of the city and strengthen its identity. This framework made an effort to offer a method and rules for enhancing the urban image in Sri Lanka and other growing south Asian nations generally.