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Rationality of the use of Remote Sensing based Land Use Maps for Identification of Emerging Urban Centres in Sri Lanka

L. H. Indrasiri
Urban Development Authority
7th Floor, Sethsiripaya, Battarmamulla, Sri Lanka
Tel : 94-1-874554, Fax: 94-1-873642


Abstract
For quite a long time Sri Lanka was facing a problem in deigning its urban centres in a scientific manner and as such the status of urban was conferred on a Ministerial decision for local administrative purposes.

Since the urban centres considered as catalyst for regional development a new approach is necessary to be adopted for the identification and definition of urban centres in Sri Lanka. This paper make an attempt to explain how the land use maps prepared by the Survey Department was utilized for the identification, demarcation and estimation of population of the emerging urban centres of Sri Lanka.

1. Introduction
The government development objectives for the urban sector meant to create required condition for efficient economic system and to improve the standard of living, including housing and urban infrastructure.

The dominance of Colombo in the urban system in the country and continuous arguments on the slow pace of urbanisation with changing urban status due to classification problems has create certain specific problems related to the definitional problem of urban centres such as difficulties in the :
  1. identification of emerging urban centres with size and class differences.
  2. Analyzing the trends and pace of urbanisation in relation to the economic development
  3. persisting slow pace of growth in relation to the spatial distribution of the functions as a result of not updating the boundaries of existing urban areas for nearly 35 years of existing urban areas for nearly 35 years in keeping with the pace of urbanisation
  4. formulation of an urban strategy based on a rational urban hierarchy
  5. examination of underlying factors of urbanisation pattern and confrontation of the associated impacts in relation to land use, concentration of population and provision of basic infrastructure facilities
  6. minimization of regional disparities in the provision of urban facilities and orientation of Government priority projects to crate multiple effects to regional growth
This paper explains the process under taken for the identification of emerging urban centres the District Land use Maps prospered by the Survey Department Based on remote sensing data. It further explains how this identification was proved in follow up studies and how these were used to analyses the hierarchical structure of these centres, the urban population and the physical growth of urban centres.

2. Application of Land Use Maps
The Homestead and urban built-up categories as indicated in the land use maps on the scale of 1:100,000 was wctracted as the settlement areas of Sri Lanka (Map. No. 1).


Map No 1 Settlement Areas of Sri Lanka

Taking into consideration of the factors such as:
  1. physical development pattern of the area
  2. Socio-economic status of the people as stated in official status of the people as stated in official statistics
  3. Major development projects implemented within the specified areas and
  4. Associated land uses in relation to the settlement pattern the possible emerging urban centres were identified. tHis identification was based on Divisional Secreaariat and District levels and listed the total number as 337 in 1996. The status of the identified centres were as follows :
    1. Census of population & Housing 1981
    2. Demographic Survey, 1994
    3. Based on average annual growth rate of 1994 and projection using the rate upto 2006 applying exponential growth model
    4. Based on Expected rate of grown calculated on the basis of development potentials of the expanded urban aggomeration/ centres. The rates vary from 1.0 to 4.0 percetn. The applicatble growth rates for different DS Divisions are as follows.

      Expected Rate of Growth of Respective DS Division 1994-2006
      1.0% Balapitiay, Elpitiya, Hikkaduwa, Baddegama, Bope-Poddala.
      1.5% Yakkalamulla, Niyagama, Nagoda, Akuressa, Malimpada, Thihagoda, Kamburupitiya, Hakmana, Mulatiyana, Tangalle, Beliatta
      2.0% Weligama, Welipitiya, Matara, Devinuwara, Dickwella, Weeraketiya, Okewela, Kauwana, Pitabeddara, Pasgoda, Hambantota, Sooriyawewa, Ambalantota, Lunugamvehera, Tissamaharama
      3.0% Moneragala, Buttala, Wellawaya
      3.5% Embilipitiya, Kolonna, Thanamalvila, Kataragama
      4.0% Neluwa

    5. Extent of identified urban agglomerations/ urban centres (Refer Table 7.2 for details)
    6. Urban population of the identified urban agglomerations/centres worked out on the basis of density level. (Refer Table 7.2 for detail)
    7. Expected rate of growth application to urban centres calculated based on the potential development and impact of urban activities in newly identified area.
Table No. 1 : Projected total and Urban Population - 2000 - Colombo Metropolitan Region
District   Total Population Extent in Urban Area Urban Population
  Extent (ha) Enumerated Projected (ha) Enumerated Project
  Gross Residential     2006       Computed    
    1981 1996 1981 1994 1996 Low High 1981 1996 identified 1981 1994 1996 2000
Colombo 69790 23320
(33.4%)
28155
(40.3%)
16699421 2007703 2009300 2159200 2366500 18130
(26.0%)
291100
(41.7%)
1264284 1842013 1863289 1929245
Gampaha 139870 71890
(51.4%)
71775
(55.2%)
1390862 1695728 1718300 1840000 2058900 13551
(09.7%)
3779
(27.0%)
388342 (27.9%) 869104 (51.2%) 880217 (51.2%) 905561 (51.2%)
Kalutara 159760 36600 (22.9%) 41605 (56.0%) 829704 937183 946300 994700 1100700 4516 (2.8%) 11572 (7.2%) 178071 (21.4%) 351132 (37.5%) 409793 (43.3%) 415235 (43.3%)
Total 369420 131810 (35.7%) 146936 (40.0%) 3919807 4640614 467300 499300 5526100 36197 (9.8%) 78463 (21.2%) 1830697 (46.7%) 3062249 (66.0%) 31553299 (67.4%) 3250041 (67.5%)
Source : 1. Census of Population & Housing, 1981, Dept. of Census & Statistics
2. District Land Use Maps, 1981, Survey Department.
3. Demographic Survey, 1994, Dept. of Cenusus & Statistics.
4. Extents of Identified Urban Centres Based on Reconnaissance Survey, 1996 Urban Department Authority.
5. Population Projections by L.H. Indrasiri, U.D.A.

Table 2: Projected Total Population - 2006 -Southern Area
District Extent (ha) Population Urban Population
Enumerated Projected 2006 Extent (ha) of Urban areas (5) Enumerated 1981(1) Estimated 1994(6) Projected 2000(6)
Gross Residence 1981(1) 1984(2) Low (3) High (4)
Galle 165160 4700 814500 953800 113000 1199000 16420
(10.0%)
166371
(20.9%)
410500
(43.0%)
536700
(45.0 %)
Matara 128250 39700 644000 754000 840000 947000 9390
(7.3%)
71151
(11.0%)
237250
(31.46)
301800
(31.86 %)
Hambantota 262250 38500 424300 518400 631000 680000 16380
(5.6%)
41430
(9.7)
163800
(31.5%)
214100
(31.5%)
Moneragala 394400 261100 170300 233800 315000 166800 7050
(3.0)
- 35250
(15.0%)
57800
(22.1%)
Ratnapura 56990 14800 104400 152000 216000 231000 2200
(3.9%)
- 33000
(21.7%)
500600
(25.3)
Total 1007350 166100
(16.5%)
2157600 2612000 3115000 3223800 51440
(5.1%)
278952
(12.9%)
879800
(33.6%)
1155000
(35.82%)

Note:
  1. Residential areas based on the land use maps of Survey Department
  2. The development potentials of each urban centre was calculated on the basis of present and past trends of the economic development activities, the extent of potential lands of future urban development activities when the infrastructure facilities are improved, location of each centre corresponds with major infrastructure networks, level of present and possible employment opportunities and the growing Paterson of urban functions.
  3. The population growth rates of selected centres of Hambantota District was compared the 1981 data with the observed population data of 1993 collected by RDSC, University of Colombo. The assumed growth rates are relatively higher than the observed rate. Therefore the same assumption was generalized and made for other centres where ever such comparison could be possible to made.
Existing urban centre (1996) - 51 Urban centres lost its urban - 83 Status in 1987 Emerging urban centres as a Result of major development - 203 Total - 337 Two separate studies carried with regard to estimating the urban population in the Colombo Metropolitan Region and the Southern Area depicted the fact that those identified centres could be considered.

As urban though these centres have variations in size class in population and services.

Out of the 61 centres in the Southern Area and 57 in the Colombo Metropolitan Region as identified by the initial study 50 in the Southern and 51 in the CMR were recognized as urban centres in these two provinces. Only one centre was added as emerging centre. On the basis of the statistics collected the urban population was estimated as 33.6 percent of the total in Southern Area (Gali 43%, Matara 31.5%, Hambantota 31.5%) and 67.5% of the total in Colombo Metropolitan Region. (Colombo 92.6%, Gampaha 51.2%, Kalutara 43.3%) (See Table 1&2 for details).

In general it can be argued that more than 35 percent of Sri Lanka's population, now living in urban areas. The significant feature of urbanisation in Sri Lanka shows that is not a concentration of population in the urban centres, but expansion around already urbanized area. (Map No.2).


Map No 2 Existing Hierarchical Structure of Urban Centers

The land use maps supported to plot the boundaries of the expanded urban centres and the physical expansion of those centres provided that centres spread in vast areas then officially defined in early 1980's.

3. Conclusion
The follow up studies based on the initial identification of emerging urban centres within the highly urbanized provinces in Sri Lanka has proved that basic identification of the centres lead to consider that Sri Lanaka is presently having more than 330 urban centres. It further proves that its total urban population is around 30-35 percent of the total population. Therefore the land use maps prepared by the Survey Department requires to be up dated to show the present scenarios for the better understanding of the trends a and pace of urbanisation which are vital factors for urban and regional development planning in Sri Lanka.