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 - Resource Profile - Homagama Divisional Secretariat Office
The data reflects the male and female population in year 2017. Total population in the area is 276213.
Education has always been a significant element in societal development. The development of education facilities contributes substantially to the development in an urban area.
As a developing country it is crucial to address poverty in order to attain the development goals. Education plays a major role in poverty reduction. Presently, several global cities have been implementing the concept of smart city to improve the quality of life of the society, including in the field of education.
Good educational institutions and coverage enables a population to have decent livelihoods be they self employed or part of the workforce. Understanding how a city provides primary, secondary and tertiary eductional as well as skill development through vocational centres could provide some pointers to how well a city is doing or where it needs to develop further.
Source - Resource Profile - Homagama Divisional Secretariat Office, 2016
The data elaborate the education facilities available in Homagama area. There are 1500 teachers in the area and student population is about 30,000. The norm for teacher-student population ratio (according to the Education Department) is 1:21. According to the available data, the present teacher-student population ratio in Homagama is 1:21 which exacly match the expected level of ratio. The dispersion of secondary and primary schools in the area can be found to cover a radius of 3 km. Out of the total population of 300000 in Homagama at least 10% are in school going age. Based on the population growth estimates, the student population will also grow correspondingly. If it is assumed that 20% of the population will be student population by the year 2030 and there will be around 140000 student population in this area.
An important function of Sri Lanka’s cities is to provide housing for the diversity of residents that support urban life. Sri Lankan early urban settlement legacy – histories, patterns, trends including land use and housing and the development challenges that come along with it have shaped the nature of our cities.
The share of housing as a proportion of built-up area across the different cities was considered, and numerous factors affect the figure. e.g. Anuradhapura, has restrictions on residential developments because of its cultural, historical and touristic importance, other MCs include significant social and economic land use, operating as a hub to surrounding suburbs and rural areas with large residential populations.
Housing policy challenges that are encountered by the city administrators relate to tenure systems, the supply of affordable, high quality housing, and difficulties accessing housing finance.
Source - Department of Census and Statistics
According to the Sri Lanka Department of Census and Statistics – 2012 reports, the total housing units in Homagama Divisional Secretariat Division was 61,505. 59,121 of that were considered permanent housing structures, and 2,282 were considered as temporary dwellings. The 102 other residencies were considered to be under construction.
Crematorium map of the Homagama Pradeshiya Sabha area:
The crematoriums in the Homagama Pradeshiya Sabha area are marked here. There are eight crematoriums within the pradeshiya sabha limits. The data will be marked with the appropriate names. (Data Source: Data collected by Homagama Pradeshiya Sabha Officers)
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.
