Abstract:
This study addresses the issue of preservation and revitalization of small historic towns in the
southern province of Sri Lanka. The origin of these towns, dispersed over the Galle and Matara
Districts, goes back to the period of colonial domination of the Maritime Provinces of the island in
the 18th and 19th century. The changes occurred within these towns are much slower compared to
the another parts of the country, but now they are faced with increased pressure for growth and
change, and hence needs preservation efforts to retain their identity while achieving the desired
growth. The study argues that preservation activity, in this context, has to be a culture-supportive
activity while dealing with the change of the culture due to development and its resultant stress.
Approach to culture-supportiveness desires the identification of core and peripheral aspects of
the culture and the cultural landscape. The core-elements of a culture and the cultural landscape
need preservation while the peripheral elements can be allowed to change. In order to identify
these core/peripheral elements, the study proposes to adopt environmental cognitive theory and
cognitive mapping technique. Accordingly the study analyzes the cognitive maps collected from
both the residents and visitors of the selected towns and identifies the elements of these southern
small towns that are worth preserving
