A city is a large human settlement. People are the main driving force in a city. The dynamism of a city is dependent on people and their behaviour. A preliminary understanding of the composition and diverse capabilities of the populations in a city should be the key to a successful urban study.
This section provides a description of the demographic status and trends in the city, primarily based on 2012 census data, presenting an overall view of the population. Trends and patterns of urban population are discussed including aspects of demography such as age, sex, ethnicity, education levels; and overall observations with regard to migration patterns, suburban population and gender.
Understanding the demographic and composition patterns of the population within the existing physical boundary will help in planning a livable city.
Source - Department of Census and Statistics
Out of the total population within the Gampaha Municipal Council limits, 48% are male and 52% are female.
The proportion of the total population divided by age is 21% for children under 15, 21%, for those aged 15 - 29, 42% for those aged 30-59 and 16% for the elderly population over 60 year.
Source - Department of Census and Statistics
Sex ratio is calculated using the percentage of proportion of males relative to females in a population. The graph indicates that more females than males in age group of over 60. The total sex ratio in Gampaha municipal area is 110.
Source - Department of Census and Statistics
According to the Census Survey conducted in 2012, within the Gampaha Municipal Council limits Sinhalese, Tamils and Moors, the main ethnic groups constitute 98.74%, 0.628% and 0.115% respectively and in the Western Province 84%, 7% and 7.8% respectively.
Gampaha Municipal area:
Gampaha Municipal Council covers an area of 3750 hectares. (Data Source _ Survey Department)
Map of Distribution of Grama Niladhari Divisions in Gampaha Administrative Limits:
The ethnic / sex / age composition in the Gampaha Municipal Council area, detailed for each of its 33 Grama Niladhari Divisions. (Data Source _ Department of Census and Statistics)
Map of buildings belonging to Gampaha Municipal Council:
This map is created using the information that has been updated in 2018.(Data Source _ SoSLC Project)
Flood Attanagalu Oya:
Flood inundation area mapping was conducted by Department of Irrigation by field data capturing method. No return period is available. No details on data captured is recorded. (Data Source _ Irrigation Department)
Proper management of land, a scarce resource, can bring about many benefits. This is of great importance especially in urban areas.
It is timely to figure out how land is allocated and being used for what purpose in our cities today. In order to create well planned cities with a futuristic vision, having a better understanding of current land use is imperative.
Land use maps are categorized into 36 sub-categories under two types – built-up and non built-up. The extent of land in each of these sub categories are indicated below.
In all of the cities it can be identified that the higher densities are concentrated in the city centres and the expansion is taken place along the roads. The expansion pattern is shaped by the geography of the surrounding area.
The selection of the area for the urban expansion analysis was followed by several preliminary studies. Initially, the urban index values which was identified using the remote sensing information were studied in the respective municipal areas including a fringe area.
Before selecting interested area for the expansion analysis it should consider following facts
- Municipal boundary
- At least 2-3 km buffer around Municipal boundary
- Rough boundary where the physical urban character disappearing
In the remote sensing discipline, the values higher than 0 represent the built-up areas.The boundary for the fringe area was identified by getting the extent of urban expansion as well as a fine boundary where the high-density expansion become insignificant. The identified boundaries were projected on to the latest satellite images to assure the identified urban index values are in line with the existing building densities.
