Imageability of cities: a study of maintaining the balance between the preservation of imageability and culture change with special reference to down town of Colombo

Abstract

Since human beings arc a creation of nature, they naturally posses a sense of beauty for nature and art which has a close rapport with the environment. This created an identity to a particular community or a city. When man modified this natural environment to meet his needs, he necessitated capturing this beauty he perceived through nature. Since the early civilization, the cities have continuously changed due to human needs and it was shown that there was a rhythmic flow of changing pattern in natural and man made environment. This rhythmic flow of man made environment was important to project the character of a city or town and also to protect the sense of belongings of its civilians in the ever changing world/ Rhythm is one of the principles, which maintain the character of a city fabric. Hence Rhythm was taken to anahses the transformation pattern of two towns rameh Nuwara Hliva and Ratnapura Due to the various reasons hill towns in Sri Lanka rapidly changed destroying their character When consider the factors affected the transformation of the hill towns, the foremost role played by its economic activity Tea plantations and gem mining, in the hill town generated wealth due to the specific character of the "location, helped ;n the transformation of hill towns./ With the development of social and economical background., cities were subjected in to drastic changes and this caused haphazard development destroying existing rhythm of the city fabric in their hill towns. This study implied the need of a separate guideline to each of their hi I! towns for their future development and to strengthen the rhythm of its urban fabric. It also revealed the need of a slickly controlled the regulations on the built fabric to avoid haphazard constructions which disrupt the rhythm of the city fabric while protecting their unique character.