Abstract:
Cities reveal not only their past but the present while providing a basis for
future planning and development. Unfortunately, many cities in Sir Lanka
exhibit qualities of poor environmental management, particularly in the area
of ill-planned urbanization. It has given origin to various Environmental
Problems (EP). To face this EP, the Green City Concept (GCC) has been
widely used. Illegal construction, irregular garbage disposal, wastewater
discharge, air, soil and noise pollution have worsened this EP. The main
objective of this study is, to investigate the applicability of the GCC to
minimize the EP stated above. The study area of this research was the JaEla
Municipal Area (MA). Primary and secondary data were used for this
research. Primary data was collected by the questionnaire, interviews, and
field observations while the secondary data was collected from books,
magazines, research articles, census reports, and maps. Also, the sample
questionnaires were administered to 20 families and 10 state institutions in the
MA. Data analyses were done using quantitative and qualitative methods.
Collected information was illustrated through graphs, tables, and maps. The
study reveals that 90% of the sample accepted the green city concept. And
85% of the sample said that to the illegal construction directly help to generate
the urban problem like mental stress, dengue epidemic, flood, and population
issues. Therefore, the research suggests is the establishment of GCC most
successful and capable of sustainable development in urban areas.