Settlement planning and regional land use outcomes for post-tsunami : the case study of the Trincomalee region Sri Lanka

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.