Displaced in situ: the communities left behind in Colombo's urban transformation

Since the 1980s, Colombo, the primary city of the island Sri Lanka, has been experiencing an extensive reinvestment which, in recent times has spilled over into its neighboring suburbs, such as Dehiwala, Kotte, Kaduwela, Maharagama, and Moratuwa, mainly in the form of multi-story high- and middle-income condominiums, classy shopping malls, large departmental stores, etc. The entire metropolitan region has recorded the largest population growth over the decade of post-civil war years. However, this transformation has left some pockets of land sandwiched between large-scale developments, where communities are left out or neglected by the ongoing gentrification processes in the city's core areas and its neighboring areas. These ‘urban pockets’ with smaller communities, which vary between ten and thirty families, live in inconsiderable enclaves formed around small lanes and alleys or gardens. They play a vital role in the neighborhoods' ongoing operations and exist in harmony with their wealthy middle-class neighbors. In this paper, we discuss a new form of social gentrification that contributes to the spatial gentrification of the city. We call it the codification of Colombo. This chapter starts by discussing some important aspects of gentrification and the present socio-political issues, concerns, and challenges that such ‘codified’ communities face, both in coexistence with neighboring communities and for their sustenance. The paper is based on the author's first-hand observations, in-depth formal and informal discussions with the inhabitants, and published and unpublished written materials on the built environments, communities, and their day-to-day practices.