COLOMBO : Local Area Sustainable Development Observatory

Background

The Asia Urbs Programme is an EC-funded initiative in decentralised cooperation. It aims to enhance mutual understanding and awareness between Asia and Europe by supporting urban development projects that are implemented jointly by Asian and European local governments.

Colombo Law College (APUR photo)

AZCA, Madrid (Ministry of Information and Tourism photo)

General view of Paris, France (APUR photo)

The LASDO (Local Area Sustainable Development Observatory) results from the association of three capital cities: Paris (France), Madrid (Spain) and Colombo (Sri Lanka).

Colombo St. Lucias Cathedral (APUR photo)

Pta Alcala, Madrid (Ministry of Information and Tourism photo)

Eiffel tower, Paris France (APUR photo)

The LASDO project, in a few words

Sri Lanka, located in the Indian Ocean, South of India, has been facing rapid industrialisation over the last decades. This process generated particular impacts on the City of Colombo, which consequently became a major commercial and financial centre at national level. As a result of its economic attraction, Colombo population has evolved in anarchical manner, combined with uncontrolled urbanisation.
Local authorities, designated by the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), are now confronted to new urban challenges.

CMC has actively sought to strengthen its urban management and planning capacities over the last years. In that perspective, there is a need of modern tools and methodology for data collection and graphic publication. These tools would allow CMC to take relevant decisions with respect to local development as well as they would provide Colombo inhabitants with useful information.

In this context, the creation of a pilot urban observatory in Colombo -so called LASDO- aims at responding properly to local needs, as well as helping CMC to elaborate, follow and assess urban and planning policies. More precisely, the LASDO project will consist of :

Collecting and organising relevant urban data throughout Colombo ;
Digitising and computerising existing graphic data ;
Conducing socio-economic surveys ;
Making urban diagnostics and forecast ;
Publicising and diffusing information on urban and planning policy orientations to local population.

The project is based on the establishment of a Geographical Information System (GIS) resulting from the combination of both graphic and thematic data.

Examples of G.I.S. base maps for the city of Colombo : road network and city map (ASIAURBS LASDO project)

Examples of G.I.S. base maps for the city of Colombo : administrative wards and divisions (ASIAURBS LASDO project)

Partnership

In order to achieve this, the City of Paris and the City of Madrid have been working together with CMC to develop a pilot project based on GIS techniques. GIS are considered world wide as useful decision making support tools to elaborate appropriate urban planning policies.

The City of Paris, through its Urban Planning Agency (APUR), will share its experience in the field of GIS development.

The project will also benefit from the City of Madrid's experience in socially oriented policies towards illegal and precarious urban settlements.

For more details, see Partners

Schedule and plan of action

See Schedule

This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Community. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and can therefore in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Community.

Web site, last updated : January 21st, 2004.