Causes of the rapid urbanization of the Nittambuwa town in Sri Lanka

Abstract

This research investigates the major causes of the rapid urbanization of Nittambuwa town which is located in the northwest periphery of Colombo Metropolitan. Urbanization has become a major development trend in developing countries. In Sri Lanka also with the metropolitan area development of the Colombo city, so many emerging towns show a rapid urbanization process during past decades. Nittambuwa town also situated within this Colombo metropolitan area and as an emerging town which shows a rapid urbanization process and so many political, social and economic factors have affected. This research uses a mixed-method and urban geographic approaches. The study area has defined 50 meters buffer zone of Colombo –Kandy highway in the Nittambuwa town area. It has been selected 30 shops and 50 dwellers for primary data collection under a simple random sampling method. Observations and other surveying techniques were used to collect data while other data gained from secondary data sources such as Urban Development Authority, Road Development Authority and National Physical Planning Department of Sri Lanka. MS Excel, GIS, and Remote Sensing techniques were used to analyze the data and charts, maps, and tables were used to present the data. This analysis revealed that the Nittambuwa town acts as the main interchanging center within the area. The number of commuters who pass the town has significantly been increased and transport services as well during the last decade, 2009-2019. Thought he Colombo – Kandy has widened and upgraded to reduce the severe traffic jam, it causes to increase the commuters to the city area. Connecting road development projects of the surrounding area of the city has affected the increase of the mobility of the crowd into the town. Construction of large scale textile shops and supermarkets also have become a major development trend within the town area. It is better to place an entertaining area for the people to be refreshed and proper parking yards for private vehicles. It is clear that the infrastructure development of the town area has effected to rapid urbanization in the Nittambuwa Town.