Urban Extremes In Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan tourist destinations of Ella and Galle are microcosms of urban trends worldwide: one is a boomtown and the other is a boutique city.

1 minute read

March 3, 2018, 5:00 AM PST

By Josh Stephens @jrstephens310


Sri Lanka

Galle, Sri Lanka | S.Gruene / Shutterstock

"Galle is the delightful, and predictable, result of history and density. The irony of contemporary city planning is that, of course, our contemporary accumulation of knowledge and technology mean nearly nothing. Galle could not be built today. It wouldn’t have enough parking. It would be too dense. The walls would block someone’s ocean view. And so we treat places like Galle as rare, precious jewels, as if they can arise only from the furnaces of the Earth."

"On face, Ella is ugly, corny, and as congested as it is remote. People go there largely for a circular but powerful reason: other people. It is a classic backpacker town, where tourists gather to meet strangers, swap stories, have drinks, and, yes, engage in the sort of revelry on which locals might frown. But its human density gives it a spirit that belies the cinder blocks."

"As Charles Mudede wrote recently in The Stranger, Seattle’s alt weekly, all cities are either Seattle or Detroit: “A city losing capital or attracting it. There is no alternative.” True as it may be, that dichotomy is incomplete. There are variations among those two poles. In the “Seattle” category, there are the Seattles and there are also the Houstons. Even in Sri Lanka, this process of urban development plays out in microcosm." 


Tuesday, February 27, 2018 in Common Edge Collaborative

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Close-up of "Apartment for rent" sign in red text on black background in front of blurred building

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program

Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

April 21, 2025 - Housing Wire

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 23, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Ken Jennings stands in front of Snohomish County Community Transit bus.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series

The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

April 20, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Google Street View of wide roadway flanked by green trees in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Milwaukee Road to Get Complete Streets Upgrades

The city will reduce vehicle lanes and build a protected multi-use trail including bioswales and other water retention features on its ‘secret highway.’

11 minutes ago - Urban Milwaukee

Side view of layers of grass and soil

Tackling Soil Contamination With Nature-Based Solutions

Los Angeles County residents and experts are turning to nature-based methods like bioremediation to address long-standing and fire-exacerbated soil contamination without resorting to costly and disruptive removal.

1 hour ago - Los Angeles Times

View of residential street in Los Angeles with palm trees and hazy city in distance.

Rebuilding Smarter: How LA County Is Guiding Fire-Ravaged Communities Toward Resilience

Los Angeles County is leading a coordinated effort to help fire-impacted communities rebuild with resilience by providing recovery resources, promoting fire-wise design, and aligning reconstruction with broader sustainability and climate goals.

April 27 - Los Angeles County Chief Sustainability Office