Applicability of the Green City Concept to minimize environmentally Issues cause by ill-planned urbanization in Ja- Ela Municipal Council area

Abstract

Cities reveal not only their past but the present while providing a basis for future planning and development. Unfortunately, many cities in Sir Lanka exhibit qualities of poor environmental management, particularly in the area of ill-planned urbanization. It has given origin to various Environmental Problems (EP). To face this EP, the Green City Concept (GCC) has been widely used. Illegal construction, irregular garbage disposal, wastewater discharge, air, soil and noise pollution have worsened this EP. The main objective of this study is, to investigate the applicability of the GCC to minimize the EP stated above. The study area of this research was the JaEla Municipal Area (MA). Primary and secondary data were used for this research. Primary data was collected by the questionnaire, interviews, and field observations while the secondary data was collected from books, magazines, research articles, census reports, and maps. Also, the sample questionnaires were administered to 20 families and 10 state institutions in the MA. Data analyses were done using quantitative and qualitative methods. Collected information was illustrated through graphs, tables, and maps. The study reveals that 90% of the sample accepted the green city concept. And 85% of the sample said that to the illegal construction directly help to generate the urban problem like mental stress, dengue epidemic, flood, and population issues. Therefore, the research suggests is the establishment of GCC most successful and capable of sustainable development in urban areas.