Green space: A Luxury or a Necessity? Green Spaces in Condominium Sites in Sri Lanka

Green spaces in cities have a positive impact on the health of the urban population. They decrease urban heat Island effects. Hence, green and open space should not be considered a luxury but an integral part of urban planning. However, the green spaces in Colombo city, Sri Lanka are declining at a rapid rate. Therefore this study investigates the reasons behind the decline of green space and high density housing developments in Colombo. Considered as a “green space” if the land cover has vegetation, the study found that 90% of small condominium developments (number of units ranging from 15 to 65) and 50% of large condominium developments (over 65 units) had less than 1% of green space on site.