The spatial pattern of land values in Kandy city – 2019

Abstract

A city is a place which functions towards attracting people and the number of functions and the population have a dialectical relationship in which each grows because of the other. Increasing functions and population in city areas create desire to purchase land within the city limit and the increasing consumption of lands causes land scarcity. The increasing demand for land causes the land value to rise. Generally land value is high at the city centre and it gradually decreases with the increasing distance from the city center. This trend cannot be seen in all cities which have peculiar land use patterns and socio-cultural practices. Kandy City was selected for the study since it is a city in Sri Lanka with complex features, factors and processes. Kandy is a heritage city which also has ecological and socio-economic significance. It shows a clear zonation of institutional, commercial, cultural, residential, recreational, and ecological functions. So it has different land values in each zone. The main objective of this study is to examine the spatial pattern of land value in Kandy city for the year 2019 and discuss the factors associated. The study was predominantly quantitative that used numerical primary data gathered through a questionnaire survey and key informant interviews. The secondary data were mainly gathered from websites. The survey also used spatial data, taken from the Open Street Map. Interpolation and overlay analysis were done on the gathered data using the Geographical Information System. The land values in Mahanuwara where the Central-Business-District is, has the highest value due to high accessibility to services. The distant areas from the Grid City, the city-core, along ‘A’ grade roads towards Katugastota in the North-west and Peradeniya in the South-west corners which are in the city limits have gained high land values due to the available transportation facilities which avoid the time hassle. Buwelikada (Kundasale) in the South-east quadrant and Katugastota areas are getting urbanized due to their lower land values. From this spatial pattern of land values, it can be observed a formation of new towns in Peradeniya, Kundasale and Katugastota. The slope, climate and natural features increase the land values in the elevated areas of the city. The world heritage locale and the ethnic coexistence in Kandy City have a positive impact on land values while the social stratification and the social limits have negative impacts in Suduhumpala and Nagastenna. Although the Kandy City develops along the transportation routes, it is not uniform due to its natural and cultural aspects.