Colombo City to bid for world’s best ‘Liveable City’ award

Shirajiv Sirimane

Colombo City would bid for the ‘Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize’ for the best “Liveable City’ award in 2016. This ambitious task had been under taken by the Urban Development Authority on a proposal by Secretary Defense, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

The 2012 prize was awarded to New York City, for the City’s remarkable transformation from one at risk in the post September 11 period, to one scaling new heights. The City of New York is the second Laureate named since the prize started in 2009. It was selected by the Nominating Committee and Prize Council from within 62 nominations received worldwide, after a rigorous two-tier selection process.

In addition to the City of New York, six other cities had been identified for special mention. They include, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, Ahmedabad, India,. AHT Group AG & SUN Development, Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa, Brisbane City Council – Urban Renewal Brisbane, Brisbane, Australia, City of Copenhagen (and Lord Mayor), Copenhagen, Denmark, 5. City of Malmö, Sweden and City of Vancouver, British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. One of the key points towards achieving this goal is to relocate slum dwellers and move out unauthorized structures.

It is estimated that over 18,000 acres of prime city land is being occupied by slum dwellers. While building shopping complexes for pavement hawkers in Pettah, Nugegoda and other areas, apartments each costing around Rs. 2 million had been built in Colombo to relocate people living in houses.

To this, the UDA had raised Rs. 10 billion through an IPO and several lands that were occupied, had been leased out to both local and foreign investors to develop leisure based activities.

It is in these cleared lands that one could see the world’s top leisure sector companies such as Shangri La, Krrish, Movenpeck, John Keells and Abans building leisure based activities. “Money raised from this too would be used towards the beautification of the city as well as relocation of people living in slums and other infrastructure development,” said Eng. Rohan Seneviratne, Additional Secretary (Technical), Urban Development Authority (UDA) and Project Director,

Metro Colombo Urban Development Project, in a presentation at the Techno Sri Lanka 2013 at the Galadari.

He also disclosed that a feasibility study hasd commenced for a JAICA funded Monorail proposal.

“Sri Lanka needs competitive dynamic and livable cities to reach its aspiration of becoming an upper middle income economy,” he said.

In addition, the protection of the Baddagana Wetland Park and Kotte Ramparts from future encroachments and also the protection of the historic areas in close proximity to the sanctuary that is being under taken, while providing pedestrians with safe, clean and convenient walkways along primary, secondary and tertiary road networks currently being initiated.

The Water Front Recreational Park at Crow’s Island and Marine Drive Promenade with Beach Front Leisure Park too would be developed.

Even the upgraded existing public conveniences (public toilets) at 14 selected locations in the city has been almost completed and they would be used as paid toilets, while walk ability improvements in the City of Colombo too, have been initiated by relocating pavement hawkers, reconstruction of roads and pavements to international standards.

He said that after many decades with the country at peace, it had been finally possible to realize the true potential of Colombo.

“This Metro Colombo Urban Development Project, aims at solving several of the city’s longstanding infrastructure constraints. I am confident that its successful implementation, together with other initiatives of the Government to develop Colombo, would help transform this city into a truly world class one.”

The mega project costing US $ 223 million, has been jointly funded by the Government of Sri Lanka and the World Bank. The project area comprises four urban local authorities namely, the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), Dehiwela-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council (DMLMC), Sri Jayewardenapura-Kotte Municipal Council (SJ-KMC) and Kolonnawa Urban Council (KUC). At the last WTM in London, Sri Lanka won a special global award and Colombo City beautification too contributed towards presenting this award.