‘What we build today must last for generations’

By Gotabaya Rajapaksa

The theme adopted for 31st National Conference organised by the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects – Architecture Envisioning Futures, is a timely one that will no doubt encourage considerable deliberation among members of the profession. Architects have an important role to play in development as the nation moves swiftly to a prosperous future built on a platform of unparalleled peace, security and stability.

When Mahinda Rajapaksa was first elected President of Sri Lanka in 2005, he had a very clear vision to end the three decades of terrorism and bring peace to the nation. This vision was outlined in his primary election manifesto, the Mahinda Chinthana document. Within his first three and a half years in office, that vision was achieved.

The President's vision for his second term of office, as outlined in the Mahinda Chinthana Idiri Dekma document, is to strengthen peace and fast track economic development. This vision centres on transforming Sri Lanka into a dynamic global hub that will make full use of the country's unique strategic position and its educated and productive work force. It envisions that Sri Lanka will become a naval, aviation, commercial, energy and knowledge hub in the future.

Professionals

One of the foremost requirements in facilitating this transformation is creating an overall environment that is people friendly. Such an environment will greatly uplift the living standards of the people, whilst also encouraging high net worth investors, entrepreneurs, and high calibre professionals to live and work in Sri Lanka.

Such people expect to maintain a high quality of life for themselves and their families. They, therefore, need a social and physical environment that is of a considerably high standard. Maintaining such an environment will also help attract Foreign Direct Investments and sustain local investments that will further develop Sri Lanka's industries and businesses. With all this in mind, the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development and its line agencies, together with the provincial and municipal authorities, has undertaken many programs throughout Sri Lanka to uplift the quality of its metropolitan areas.

The focus is on developing clean, green, people friendly cities and towns that will foster an efficient working environment and a relaxed living environment.

Unplanned growth

Because of the need to have a vibrant commercial capital, the Government has focused much effort on the development of Colombo and the greater metro Colombo area. There were many issues that the city faced due to its organic and rather unplanned growth over the years. There were also many long needed infrastructure improvements that had to be made. These included:

·Flood control and improvement of drainage infrastructure
·Providing proper housing for low income, underserved settlements
·Improving the road network and improving pavements for pedestrians
·Developing parks and more public open spaces for people to use and enjoy
·Restoring old heritage buildings to bring out the architectural heritage of the city, and
·Enhancing public facilities such as toilets, bus halts and markets.

The Metro Colombo Urban Development Project, which is implemented under the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development and financed through a loan from the World Bank, is a project that will address some of these issues.

It focuses on overcoming the various flood and drainage issues that were prevalent in the city by improving the drainage infrastructure, including micro drainage channels, primary and secondary canals, and lakes. Much of this work has already begun and is scheduled for completion at the end of next year.

Beira lake

Under this project, the long neglected Beira Lake will also be completely rehabilitated. Its gates, tributaries and output channels will be unblocked and improved, and the pollution caused by adjacent unauthorised settlements and buildings will be addressed.

With these improvements, the Beira Lake will be transformed from its present state to a worthy centrepiece for a revitalised city. In addition, the Beddegana Park in the Kotte area will also be greatly improved.

Apart from this project, a number of marshlands have been dredged by the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation to ease the flood problem. New water retention areas have been created in regions such as Rampalawatta, Pelawatte and Thalawathugoda.

Under the Weras Ganga Basin Storm Water Drainage and Environment Improvement Project, the dredging of the Weras Ganga will be coupled with improvements to the drainage system connecting to Bolgoda, and the development of several canals.

Overall beauty

It should also be noted that under a Green Growth program, the remaining marshlands in the metro Colombo region will be protected and biodiversity parks enhanced.

By improving the quality of water retention areas, marshlands, lakes and waterways, the overall beauty and pleasantness of Colombo will be greatly enhanced. This will help the city to once again claim the title of being the Garden City of the East.

Under the Resettlement of Underserved Settlements Project being undertaken by the Urban Development Authority, some 70,000 families who lived in unauthorised settlements in Colombo will be given housing in high-rise buildings designed and constructed to a good standard.

It should also be noted that the new buildings are coming up in areas close to the peoples’ original residences, so that they do not need to find different jobs or send their children to new schools.

The families being resettled used to live in unsanitary and unhygienic conditions, and their social environment was not at all good.

Through greatly improving their housing facilities and introducing them to a more comfortable way of life in the new buildings, these people will gain the domestic environment they need to achieve social mobility.

Safer environment

This is the greatest contribution of the relocation program to the people of Colombo. It is also important to note that by shifting these underserved families away from the Government lands they had been occupying, the strategic reservations alongside the rail tracks will be freed, reducing the risks to the people and making the environment safer.

In addition, the clearing of the reservations around the Beira Lake and the canal system will prevent problems such as the dumping of garbage and sewerage into these water bodies. Through the clearing of these strategic reservations, the maintenance of the waterways will also become much easier. This will make the water bodies cleaner and much more pleasant.

In addition, a great deal of prime real estate is also being freed for commercial development. This will help satisfy the strong demand for real estate space that has become evident in Colombo in recent years.

Pavements

The development of roads including the pavements in the city is another important matter that has received a lot of attention in the recent past. Common conduits have been introduced for utility services along these streets, and drainage facilities have also been upgraded.

Even more significantly, the development of pavements along many streets in the Colombo and Metro Colombo regions is a notable achievement. The majority of the people who work in Colombo use public transport.

They, therefore, need the pavements to walk from place to place. Unfortunately, for many years, the emphasis given to the quality of pavements was poor. They did not exist along parts of some roads, and in others, they suffered from poor quality including potholes. In some areas, street vendors had built unauthorised structures impeding the pavements, leading to people having to walk on the road in the midst of traffic. All of these issues are now being addressed.

People friendly

Pavement vendors have been given stalls in other areas from which to sell their wares. Good quality pavements are being created on all major roads. This will help the city to be much more people friendly.

In terms of sustainability, one of the more innovative approaches taken by the Urban Development Authority over the past few years has been to transform historic old buildings on the verge of collapse into facilities with a new lease on life.

Old buildings with a rich architectural heritage such as the Colombo Racecourse Grounds, the Dutch Hospital, the Galle Dutch Hospital, and the former Auditor General's Department Building have been restored to their former glory and have been transformed into vibrant urban centres.

In addition to reviving the architectural beauty of these spaces, the unsightly walls that had come in public places up during the conflict, which obscured much of the city's best features including its architecture and greenery, have been dismantled.

The city is looking greener, and much less like a concrete jungle. The quality of its public facilities, such as bus stands, public toilets and the establishment of proper marketplaces for former street hawkers and unauthorised roadside shops has also helped uplift the overall standard of the city.

Garbage collection

Keeping the city clean is another key criterion in maintaining urban spaces at a high standard. One of the major problems Sri Lanka faced in the past was that trash collection was not carried out properly and that piles of garbage could be seen on various city corners.

With more attention being paid to the administration of garbage collection contracts and the introduction of innovative solutions, such as the establishment of the Environmental Protection division within the Police to monitor the streets, this problem has been solved.

However, Colombo still requires a sound long-term solution for garbage disposal. With this need in mind, the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development is presently working on a sustainable solution to the garbage issue.

Garbage that is collected in the city will be transported via rail to a sanitary landfill being built in an abandoned quarry in Aruakkalu, Puttalam.

Recreational spaces

While inorganic waste will be disposed of through scientific methods, organic waste may be converted to fertiliser or even be used to generate energy.

Many other cities and towns have implemented successful programs in this regard.

Apart from these important infrastructure and utility related projects, many ancillary projects have also been undertaken to upgrade the overall quality of life in the city.

Parks and other recreational spaces have been renovated and greatly improved, including Independence Square, Water's Edge, the Nawala Wetland Park, the Viharamahadevi Park, and Thalawathugoda. It is vitally important from a social perspective and a national health perspective that good quality public open spaces be available for people to exercise in and use for recreation.

The fact that thousands of people now enjoy these facilities on a daily basis shows how extraordinarily beneficial these projects have been to the public at large. The opportunities that has been created through these spaces and facilities for local entrepreneurs is also important.

Superior facilities

For example, the setting up of Diyatha Uyana has greatly helped the floriculture industry, with flower vendors who previously used to exhibit their wares in temporary huts at Viharamahadevi Park being given far superior facilities. The area surrounding their marketplace has been developed with fountains and aquariums, leading to more and more footfall from the public.

The increased businesses has led to more and more entrepreneurs taking up floriculture, and nearly 400 vendors have set up shop there today.

Similarly, the Dutch Hospital is today frequented by locals and tourists in increasing numbers, and the shop owners and restaurateurs there have greatly benefited as a result.

Although the Government has spent a great deal of money on developing infrastructure and facilities, maintaining these and ensuring they do not deteriorate through neglect or misuse is critical.

While the municipal and state authorities will engage in maintenance, the public must also do its part.

Unfortunately, the development of an appropriate civic consciousness may take time. For example, I have seen people parking their vehicles on the newly built pavements, which can cause their deterioration whilst also obstructing the passage of pedestrians.

Greenery

Some people who go to the public open spaces occasionally litter the premises. While the police will monitor and prosecute offenders, ultimately it is only through changing peoples mind-sets that these problems will be overcome in the long term.

The civic consciousness we have about preserving the environment is similarly crucial.

People often talk about the importance of retaining greenery and the need to have more trees. Whenever the Government or municipal authorities improve roadways or improve the pavements, a conscious effort is made to plant more trees and improve the greenery.

Unfortunately, many of the same people who talk about the need for more greenery are the same ones who put up billboards throughout the city limits. These billboards are eyesores that obscure the greenery of the city and detract from its natural beauty, and this is a problem that needs to be addressed comprehensively.

Quality of city life

Instructions have been given to the Municipal Authorities to regulate billboards better, and the people who put up billboards should be advised to consider more effective ways of advertising.

If billboards do have to be put up, it is better that they use modern methods such as electronic billboards in permitted areas, rather than put up large billboards in various places, thereby ruining the atmosphere of the city.

We need the greenery and beauty of our urban spaces to stand out, and the rationalisation of billboards will be essential for this. Similarly to all the work that is being done in Colombo, a great deal of work has been done to develop important secondary cities throughout the country.

Projects are underway in cities including Kandy, Galle, Matara, Jaffna, Batticalao, Kurunegala, Trincomalee, Nuwara Eliya and a few other smaller cities. The historic Galle Fort city is being renovated, and the historic Galle Fort city and the heritage city of Kandy will be developed under a project funded by another World Bank loan.

Through these projects and other urban development programs, the overall quality of city life in Sri Lanka has improved greatly over the past few years and will improve considerably further in the years to come.

While establishing eco-friendly and beautiful cities is critical, it must be kept in mind that economic development is a key priority and an ongoing process.

This is why we need architects, engineers and professionals in related fields to be committed to creating cities that are not just eco-friendly and beautiful, but are also practical, functional and cost effective.

New apartments

Novel and practical solutions as to how this might be achieved are the need of the hour. There are many areas in the present urban development programs undertaken by the Government to which Architects can contribute. For example, even though former shanty dwellers are being given high quality new housing under the Resettlement of Underserved Settlements program, there are occasional complaints about the quality and layout of their new apartments. If architects and engineers can understand the requirements of the people and design cost effective solutions that do not unduly burden public funds, it should be possible to provide better urban housing facilities for future beneficiaries of such resettlement programs.

Architects, urban designers and town planners should try to help solve the existing issues facing our urban spaces through proposing innovative solutions. Poor designs will set us back by creating impractical buildings that serve little economic purpose and are also difficult to maintain.

For example, some of the supermarkets and bus stands built in the past have been failures in economic terms, because they have not been designed to be business friendly or even people friendly. It is important to keep in mind the purpose a particular building might serve in the future. What we build today must last for generations, and need to be future proof in terms of functionality, practicality, cost effectiveness and impact. These are important elements that I urge you to keep in mind.

Address by Defence and Urban Development Ministry, Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa at Architect 2014, the 31st National Conference, organised by the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects on Thursday.